USGBC Awards LEED Gold Certification to Office Depot Global Headquarters

Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, today announced that the Company’s Global Headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, has been awarded Gold Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system.

Office Depot is the first office supplies retailer with a headquarters building certified under any of the LEED rating systems. The Company’s headquarters is also now the first LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance certified building in Boca Raton, Florida and one of ten in the entire state.

“We are very proud to receive Gold LEED Certification for our global headquarters,” said Steve Odland, Chairman and CEO of Office Depot. “Office Depot has been leading the office products industry in environmental sustainability for many years, and we felt it was important to continue this leadership by pursuing LEED at our global home. This is a significant achievement for the entire Company.”

With LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance certification, Office Depot focused primarily on implementing environmentally sustainable programs and elements within the four walls of the facility. Features of Office Depot’s LEED Gold Certified headquarters include:

Sustainable Sites

• Landscaping staff is utilizing fuel efficient, battery powered equipment.
• Underground water retention system designed to handle storm water run-off.
• Commuter program that encourages use of public transit.
• Parking spots designated for carpools.

Water Efficiency

• Rain Sensor System designed to reduce water usage during landscaping.
• Low flow aerators installed in sinks to conserve water.

Energy & Atmosphere

• Energy efficient interior lighting achieved by switching from 32 watt to 28 watt fluorescents, which are 12.5% more energy efficient.
• Conversion of garage lighting from 130 watt metal halide lamps with ballast to 54 watt fluorescent lights led to reduced energy consumption by two-thirds.
• Facility is Carbon Neutral as a result of Renewable Energy Credits purchased from NextEra Energy; renewable power is equivalent to total electricity use of building.
• Motion detectors in all conference rooms, offices and restrooms ensure that lights are off when a space is not occupied.

Materials & Resources

• New sustainable purchasing policies for ongoing consumables, technology, furniture, lighting and cleaning products written to meet or exceed LEED for Existing Buildings sustainable purchasing guidelines.
• New solid waste management policies were written and implemented.
• Over 90% of paper used in building is 30% Post Consumer Recycled or higher, and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
• Reusable cutlery and dishes in on-campus cafeteria help to reduce solid waste.
• Low mercury lamps installed throughout the building.
• Steel case furniture triple-certified to the highest green furniture standards: MBDC Cradle to Cradle® Silver, BIFMA Level 2 and SCS (Scientific Certification Systems) Indoor Advantage Gold™.
• Carpet used in building is recyclable and 100% recycled.

Indoor Air Quality

• Green cleaning products for indoor janitorial use are Green Seal and EcoLogo certified.
• Disposable paper cleaning cloths were replaced with reusable micro fiber cloths.

Innovation

• Fourteen on-site lime, grapefruit, orange and tangerine fruit trees were planted.
• 100% of durable goods diverted from landfill through building recycling program.
• 139% weighted green value of office supplies expenditure was documented using Office Depot’s industry-exclusive LEED for Existing Buildings Credit Report.

“There has been a great value in having our global headquarters LEED for Existing Buildings certified,” said Jerry Wicklander, Director of Corporate Facilities. “In addition to the pride associated with having a LEED certified building, we now have healthier indoor air quality for our associates and are predicting an annual savings of over 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity and $150,000 in costs.”

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