SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Pens made from car headlights, recycled cell phones and plastic shopping bags. Remanufactured laser toner cartridges that cost 15 percent less than conventional. A power savings surge protector to tackle phantom power.
Office Depot brought these products together for its Greener Office display the company assembled on Thursday in an empty South-of-Market condo.
The office display cost about $4,000 because it includes several big-ticket items, such as several pieces from the Greenguard-certified Global Genoa office furniture line. But switching to greener office supplies doesn't mandate a cost premium, said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Office Depot's director of environmental strategy.
"Customers can find cost savings and environmental benefits at the same time," Siddiqui said.
For instance, buying a new computer can be done with economics and the environment in mind by selecting a laptop over a desktop because laptops are less energy intensive, which will result in lower electricity bills. An Energy Star-rated all-in-one machine for faxing, printing, copying and scanning from HP (OfficeJet Pro L7590, $299) saves money because you wipe out the need to buy and power each component separately.
Many items on display Thursday come from the company's newly launched private label green office product line and are compiled with other environmentally friendly products in its Green Book catalog.
There were approximately 1,200 items in the first Green Book published in 2003, and most were considered green at the time because they had recycled components. Roughly 3,000 items with nine green attributes, such as Energy Star ratings or reduced chemical use, are featured in the 2007 book.
The items are divided in two categories reflected in the packaging style. Light green colored packaging, for example, indicates a product is greener than its conventional counterpart while dark green colored packaging indicates it is an environmentally superior product, such as the FSC-certified paper made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled content.
The display was part of the company's sponsorship of the Living for the City tour, which highlighted select properties throughout San Francisco.
GreenerBuildings.com