Staples Roslindale Store Receives Coveted U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold Certification

Staples, Inc., (Nasdaq: SPLS) the world’s largest office products company, today announced that the Staples store in Roslindale, located at 4165 Washington Street, is the first Staples store in the Northeast to be awarded Gold certification in Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Jim Hunt, the Chief for Environmental and Energy Services for the City of Boston, joined Staples Vice President of Environmental Affairs Mark Buckley and representatives from the Green Roundtable on Mon., Oct. 26, 2009, for a dedication ceremony honoring this achievement in environmental sustainability.

"This certification shows Staples' commitment to sustainability, and I hope this will serve as an inspiration for other building developers,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "They've shown it's possible to grow our city and be environmentally friendly at the same time.”

LEED is a voluntary independent green building rating system and is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Buildings meeting LEED standards maximize energy efficiency and sustainability while minimizing negative environmental impacts. The Staples store in Roslindale has officially achieved Gold certification by incorporating the following LEED-recommended features:

• 39 roof skylights that will provide natural lighting for the store and limit use of artificial lighting during the day
• An energy-efficient roof that is super-insulated to reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter

• Construction materials (drywall, insulation, steel, concrete, carpet and parking stops) that incorporate recycled content
• Carpet, paints, adhesives and sealants that contain low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) to provide healthy indoor air quality for employees and customers
• A selection of more than 3,000 eco-responsible products, including Staples® brand notebooks, composition books and filler paper made from sugar cane waste fiber
• Convenient in-store recycling areas for cardboard, paper, plastic, glass and aluminum, as well as recycling services for office technology, personal electronics and ink and toner cartridges
• A green Copy & Print Center which uses ENERGY STAR-certified machines and Staples brand 50 percent recycled FSC-certified paper as the standard offering for high volume black and white copies
• Four preferred parking spots for low-emission vehicles

The Staples store in Roslindale uses approximately 34 percent less energy than a standard store, but Staples’ environmental commitment to the Boston area extends beyond its store locations. It is currently testing an Isuzu Hybrid truck for deliveries around Boston, and limits the speed on all delivery trucks to 60 miles per hour, improving fuel economy by 23 percent and lowering emissions. Staples is also one of the largest purchasers of green energy in the country and hosts 26 solar systems on the rooftops of stores and distribution centers nationally.

"From day one, our customers have praised our store’s efforts to deliver office products, technology and services in an environmentally friendly way,” said Mark Buckley, vice president of environmental affairs for Staples. "Achieving LEED Gold certification from the USGBC is a testament to the team’s efforts and our commitment to making a difference in communities where our customers and associates live and work.”

Staples shares the honor of this certification with the development team, including Ralph Cappola, owner of Main Street Architects, and Jose Couto of Couto Management Group, LLC.

About Staples’ Environmental Commitment

Staples long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices is based on four key environmental cornerstones: offering a wide assortment of environmental products, providing recycling options to our customers and associates, investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy and educating customers and associates about sustainability. Through its EcoEasy commitment, Staples makes it easy for customers to make a difference for the environment by offering more than 3,000 office products with environmental features and providing everyday, in-store recycling for computers, office technology, personal electronics and ink and toner cartridges. In 2008, Staples won the "Corporate Citizen of the Year Award” from the New England Clean Energy Council, and is ranked 20th overall and second in retail on Newsweek’s 2009 Green Rankings list. For more on Staples environmental initiatives, please visit www.staples.com/ecoeasy.

About Staples

Staples, the world's largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. With 2008 sales of $23 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples serves businesses of all sizes and consumers in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In July 2008, Staples acquired Corporate Express, one of the world's leading suppliers of office products to businesses and institutions. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com.

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