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  • Overall approach
    1/14
    • Overarching commitment on deforestation
      0/6
    • Signatory to an initiative tackling deforestation
      0/1
    • Awareness of the value of forests
      1/1
      Awareness
      Yes
      1/1
      "We know how important forests are to our planet [...] Products with the FSC logo support responsible forest management including prohibiting the use of hazardous chemicals, protecting water quality, limiting clear-cuts to support forest ecology and protecting rare, threatened and endangered species [...] Buying FSC-certified paper helps prevent deforestation, including conversion of natural forests to plantations." 
      Open source document
    • Target to reduce emissions from land-use change
      0/3
    • Reporting on emissions from land-use change
      0/3
  • Commodity score
    29/86
    • Pulp & Paper
      33/86
      • Commitment Strength
        20/36
        • Commitment to protect priority forests
          10/15
          • Commitment details
            Forest-related commitment
            6/8
            Commitment to protect priority forests
            Forest-related commitment
            6/8
            Certification schemes mentioned: FSC; PEFC; Other (specify)
            Type of commitment: Certification
            If Other, specify here: Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR)
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1/1
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all operations
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all operations
            Yes
            1/1
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Target date
            No deadline
            0/1.3
          • Target is quantifiable
            No
            0/1.3
        • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
          10/11
          • Commitment details
            Yes
            4/4
            Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            4/4
            Type of commitment: Reduction of material inputs
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1/1
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all operations
            No
            0/1
          • Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1/1
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
          • Target date
            2020
            1.2/1.3
            Target date
            2020
            1.2/1.3
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
          • Target is quantifiable
            Yes
            1.3/1.3
            Target is quantifiable
            Yes
            1.3/1.3
            "Our goal is to reduce the amount of outbound packaging used in our United States operations by 20% by 2020 (from a 2011 baseline)."
            Open source document
        • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
          0/11
          • Commitment details
            No traceability commitment
            0/4
          • Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            No
            0/1
          • Commitment applies to all operations
            No
            0/1
          • Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            No
            0/1
          • Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            No
            0/1
          • Target date
            No deadline
            0/1.3
          • Target is quantifiable
            No
            0/1.3
      • Reporting and Implementation
        4/34
        • Reporting against commitments
          2/6
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            No
            0/2
          • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            2/2
            Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            Yes
            2/2
            "Since 2011, the weight of all packaging materials used per package shipped decreased by roughly 8%."
            Open source document
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/2
        • Reporting is independently verified
          0/4
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            No
            0/1.3
          • Commitment to reduce use of virgin wood fibre
            No
            0/1.3
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/1.3
        • Deforestation cut off date
          No
          0/2
        • Monitoring and verification of supplier compliance
          Non-specific monitoring statement
          2/4
          Monitoring and verification of supplier compliance
          Non-specific monitoring statement
          2/4
          "To implement these commitments, we will survey our paper and wood-based product suppliers to identify the sources of their raw materials, the management practices and certifications held by them and/or their raw material suppliers, and the certifications that their products are labeled with, if any. Staples evaluates the supplier information provided in light of this policy and may conduct audits to confirm the validity of the information provided. We prioritize our surveys and audits to best meet the goals of this policy".
          Open source document
        • Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          No engagement or exclusion
          0/4
        • Publishing supplier lists
          No disclosure
          0/4
        • Accessible grievance mechanism
          No
          0/4
        • Collaborative actions
          No
          0/2
        • Report volumes of commodity
          No reporting
          0/4
      • Social Considerations
        9/16
        • Commitment to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          Yes
          4/4
          Commitment to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          Yes
          4/4
          "We will ask our suppliers to demonstrate that they provide paper and wood-based products from non-controversial sources, meaning that the wood or fiber [...] is not harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights, including free, prior, and informed consent".
          Open source document
        • Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Discrimination; Forced Labour; Child Labour; Freedom of association
          Staples require their suppliers to ensure their workers' rights to have freedom of association, and to be free from discrimination, forced labour, and child labour.
          Open source document
        • Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          "The supplier does not engage in or support discrimination in hiring, remuneration, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation, age or as dictated by local and national law."
          Open source document
        • Inclusion of small-scale farmers
          No
          0/4
    • Timber
      25/86
      • Commitment Strength
        14/36
        • Commitment to protect priority forests
          14/21
          • Commitment details
            Forest-related commitment
            8/10.7
            Commitment to protect priority forests
            Forest-related commitment
            8/10.7
            Certification schemes mentioned: FSC; PEFC; Other (specify)
            Type of commitment: Protects priority forests
            If Other, specify here: Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR)
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
          • Commitment applies to all operations
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            Commitment applies to all operations
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            Yes
            1.5/1.5
            "Protect global forest resources by progressively increasing the percentage of paper and woodbased products that are purchased as certified, preferably to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard." "If market conditions and good business practices do not support sourcing of FSC certified product, we will seek paper and wood-based products that are certified to any scheme endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) [...] Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (CERFLOR), and others."
            Open source document
          • Target date
            No deadline
            0/2
          • Target is quantifiable
            No
            0/2
        • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
          0/15
          • Commitment details
            No traceability commitment
            0/5.3
          • Commitment applies to all sourcing regions
            No
            0/1.5
          • Commitment applies to all operations
            No
            0/1.5
          • Commitment applies to all direct suppliers
            No
            0/1.5
          • Commitment applies to all indirect suppliers
            No
            0/1.5
          • Target date
            No deadline
            0/2
          • Target is quantifiable
            No
            0/2
      • Reporting and Implementation
        2/34
        • Reporting against commitments
          0/6
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            No
            0/3
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/3
        • Reporting is independently verified
          0/4
          • Commitment to protect priority forests
            No
            0/2
          • Commitment to a traceable supply chain
            No
            0/2
        • Deforestation cut off date
          No
          0/2
        • Monitoring and verification of supplier compliance
          Non-specific monitoring statement
          2/4
          Monitoring and verification of supplier compliance
          Non-specific monitoring statement
          2/4
          "We will survey our paper and wood-based product suppliers to identify the sources of their raw materials, the management practices and certifications held by them and/or their raw material suppliers, and the certifications that their products are labeled with, if any. Staples evaluates the supplier information provided in light of this policy and may conduct audits to confirm the validity of the information provided. We prioritize our surveys and audits to best meet the goals of this policy."
          Open source document
        • Engagement with non-compliant suppliers
          No engagement or exclusion
          0/4
        • Publishing supplier lists
          No disclosure
          0/4
        • Accessible grievance mechanism
          No
          0/4
        • Collaborative actions
          No
          0/2
        • Report volumes of commodity
          No reporting
          0/4
      • Social Considerations
        9/16
        • Commitment to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          Yes
          4/4
          Commitment to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent
          Yes
          4/4
          "We will ask our suppliers to demonstrate that they provide paper and wood-based products from non-controversial sources, meaning that the wood or fiber [...] is not harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights, including free, prior, and informed consent".
          Open source document
        • Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Labour rights in the supply chain
          Yes
          4/4
          Discrimination; Forced Labour; Child Labour; Freedom of association
          Staples require their suppliers to ensure their workers' rights to have freedom of association, and to be free from discrimination, forced labour, and child labour.
          Open source document
        • Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          Gender equality in the supply chain
          Discrimination/Gender Rights/Harassment
          1/4
          "The supplier does not engage in or support discrimination in hiring, remuneration, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation, age or as dictated by local and national law."
          Open source document
        • Inclusion of small-scale farmers
          No
          0/4
  • Commitment strength
    17/36
    Avg. score
  • Reporting and Implementation
    3/34
    Avg. score
  • Social considerations
    9/16
    Avg. score

Profile

Staples Inc is one of the world’s largest specialist retailers of office supplies, with key product lines in stationary, furniture and technology products. Amongst its products are a wide variety of paper goods, including copy paper, printer paper, POS rolls and letterheads. Paper accounted for 9% of all sales in 2016, whilst office furniture and chairs accounted for a further 6.4%. As a leading retailer of these goods Staples is exposed to the forest risk commodities paper, pulp and timber. 

Sector
Industry sector 
Furniture & flooring, Paper & packaging
Segments
Retailer
HQ
HQ 
United States
Company Type
Company type 
Public listed
Collective Commitments
Consumer Goods Forum member
New York Declaration on Forests signatory

Top Brands

Staples

How we assess the Forest 500

To ensure deforestation free supply chains, companies need to adopt and implement timebound and measurable policies for forest risk commodities.

All assessments use policies published on company websites, some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Full corporate sector performance data Forest 500 assessment methodology

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Disclaimer

This assessment has been carried out following the methodology developed for the Forest 500 project, available here. Please see our disclaimer applicable to all information contained within this site and our terms and conditions for use of data presented on this site.

All assessments use policies published on company and financial institution websites, and while we endeavor to keep them updated some links may have changed or been removed since the time of assessment.

Please contact us with any concerns or feedback about this or other assessments included in the Forest 500.