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Living Values

2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

 

Natural Environment

 

Ink and Toner Product Stewardship

Our customers can save money and reduce their environmental impact by taking advantage of the ink and toner cartridge choices offered by OfficeMax. These include the following:

• Purchasing OfficeMax brand remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, which generally provide savings of up to 15 percent compared with national brands.
• Returning their own cartridges for remanufacturing, often with incentives from OfficeMax and/or the manufacturer.
• Utilizing our Ink Refill Station Program, which is available through our Retail business segment.
• Accessing our MaxPerks recycling program (see the Customer Value section).

Ink Refill Station Program

In 2006, the Retail business segment of our U.S. Operations rolled out our Ink Refill Station Program by installing Ink Refill Stations in 422 of our stores. In 2007, 264 more of our stores added the stations. The program enables customers to have their empty cartridges refilled for up to 50 percent less than the cost of purchasing a new cartridge.

Because cartridges can be refilled between four to 10 times before being recycled, and given that most computer users replace their printer's ink cartridge four to six times a year, we expect this program to help eliminate thousands of pounds of plastic waste from public landfills, while saving our customers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

SPOTLIGHT: Grand & Toy THINK! Ink & Toner Cartridge Recycling Program

Think!Our Canadian subsidiary, Grand & Toy, introduced ink and toner cartridge recycling in 2005 through two separate initiatives: an in-store inkjet cartridge drop-off program and a toner cartridge take-back program.

While the programs produced some success, they were operating separately with little messaging regarding the impact that cartridges have on the environment. In addition, the manner in which Grand & Toy was taking back toner cartridges was sometimes problematic. Customers were not scheduling pick-ups and not repacking their empties. Often Grand & Toy drivers were handed empty toner cartridges, which ended up loose in the back of their trucks, leaving spilled toner and broken and/or lost components.

In 2007, Grand & Toy consolidated and refined the programs and re-branded it as THINK! Some of the refinements included a clearly defined and documented process and the piloting of targeted Federal Government Credit and Box Programs. More than 237,000 cartridges were returned to Grand & Toy in 2007, helping to keep more than 237,000 pounds of plastic from the waste stream.

Upon registering for the Box Program, customers receive an initial shipment of boxes in which to return their empty toner cartridges. This reduces the amount of times the drivers have to visit customer sites for pickup, helps to ensure clean return of the cartridges, and helps brand Grand & Toy internally at customer sites.