Over a hundred calls were made last Friday by Tufts students to Staples Headquarters in support of the Stop Staples campaign, which has campaigned against the company's environmental policies for the last year and a half. The call-a-thon was sponsored in part by Tufts Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO) and by Ecopledge, an environmental organization opposed to Staples' heavy use of disposable paper products.
The office supply company, which services Tufts, says it has an excellent environmental record.
"Staples is definitely committed to being an environmentally conscious company," Staples spokesman Owen Davis said.
Over 300 calls were made from across Massachusetts to Staples headquarters in Framingham, MA - about 130 calls came from Tufts alone.
An Ecopledge press release cited the deforestation of the American South - where over "one-third of the trees clear-cut each year go towards the production of disposable paper products" - as the motivation for the campaign. Ecopledge has targeted Staples because they are the fastest-growing office supply company in the US.
Ecopledge Field Organizer Cathleen Sullivan said the group's members chose to campaign at Tufts because they felt a Boston-area school would be most effective given its proximity to Staples national headquarters.
"We wanted to expand the scope of Boston activity on the campaign... Tufts seemed like it had a lot of potential, but hadn't been deeply involved in the past," Sullivan said.
Sullivan has not heard back from Staples about the call-in day, but said the store is beginning to offer more recycled products. She said that the store's addition of Living Tree paper, which uses no wood products, was prompted by the Stop Staples campaign.
However, Staples officials say the store has long offered recycled products. "Staples has been leading the industry with its commitment," Owen said. "It's been in the making for many years."
According to an Ecopledge press release, less than 12 percent of products sold at Staples are made of recycled materials. Staples maintains that customers can choose from over 1000 recycled products when shopping and that the displays highlight these products to make customers aware of their choices.
In addition to selling recycled products, Staples ships all of its products in recycled corrugated cardboard boxes. They also recycle internally over 95 tons of paper used in their offices. In late February, Staples will sponsor a program for customers to donate old computers for organizations in need.
Davis acknowledged that Staples has been in contact with a few environmental groups, but said that "the actions the company has taken have been a part of the evolution of the company's commitment."
A satirical welcome party for the new Staples CEO will be held today at the Harvard Square Staples location. About five Boston-area schools will participate, including Tufts students, whom Sullivan said "have been the driving organizational force behind the event."
She said that college students are vital to campaigns like Stop Staples. "College students are a crucial force of change in this country. As we become full citizens, it is so important to learn our power, to hold corporations and the government accountable to us and the environment."
