CSR Directions

Senior Management Statement

Dear Stakeholder,

Thank you for your interest in OfficeMax's third annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, Living Values 2008. In these challenging economic times, our progress on a number of CSR initiatives supports our commitment to managing OfficeMax for the long term and positioning the company for future growth.

In keeping with the current premium that OfficeMax has placed on tight cost controls, our 2008 CSR Report provides essential updates and information in a slightly more encapsulated format than our two previous CSR reports, while adapting the design and organization from our 2007 CSR Report.

In reading Living Values 2008, I believe you will see the role our Core Values play in supporting the five areas of CSR on which OfficeMax focuses. In 2008, we made the advances in each of these areas.

Community and Education

• We began a partnership with The Kids in Need Foundation, in which we donate discontinued new merchandise, exemplifying our strategic giving focus on education.
• We expanded our highly successful A Day Made Better initiative to support more K-12 teachers and schools in need.
• Our operations in Canada and Australasia participated in a variety of outreach and community efforts, many of them focused on education.

Natural Environment

• Our U.S. Operations reduced CO₂ emissions by an additional 10 percent while opening a net 32 stores, following a nearly 9 percent decrease in CO₂ emissions the year prior.
• We offered many more recycled-content products in our Maxi catalog and significantly increased the number of business papers sold containing post-consumer fiber.
• OfficeMax became the first office products company in New Zealand to receive the Enviro-Mark NZ Diamond certification from the New Zealand government, recognizing our continuing commitment to environmental sustainability.

Diversity and Inclusion

• Our U.S. Operations launched the OfficeMax People with Disabilities and Veterans Initiative, providing training to managers and reaching out to organizations for people with disabilities.
• Associates established three new Associate Resource Groups: African American Professional Network, Council of Pan Asian Americans, and MaxMoms
• We increased our performance rating in the Corporate Equality Index, issued by The Human Rights Campaign, which works to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

Working Environment

• Our U.S. Operations implemented our new Safety and Health Plan at our Contract Fulfillment Centers and our PowerMax distribution centers.
• We established the OfficeMax Values Champion Award, to honor associates who both live OfficeMax's Core Values and champion them to others.
• Our Canadian subsidiary, Grand & Toy, conducted an All-Associate Engagement Survey to measure employee engagement across the organization.

Customer Value

• We launched a companywide initiative that introduced stylish and practical product lines, based on results from our ethnographic research study in 2007.
• We enhanced the MaxPerks Rewards for Business program, raising the benefits and increasing the flexibility.
• Our Call Centers achieved world-class customer service performance for the fourth consecutive year, based on industry standards.

Overall, we are pleased with the direction in which our CSR efforts are moving. This is an exciting time to be an OfficeMax associate, with opportunities to grow professionally and contribute to the good of society and the environment.

I hope you enjoy reading this third installment chronicling our CSR journey. Please let us know what you think.

Sincerely,

Sam K. Duncan
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer