Office Depot Auditing and Verification Policy

Office Depot values the contribution of our many suppliers who have worked with us to promote environmental stewardship and to set new standards for measurability in our industry.

To encourage and reward the environmental initiatives undertaken by our suppliers and to increase the value of their efforts among our stakeholders, Office Depot will increasingly:

1. Rely on independent auditing and verification of paper suppliers and the management practices of the forest operations from which their wood fiber is sourced;
2. Require our paper suppliers to submit performance reports detailing their progress in environmental management and forest certification programs;
3. Give preference to suppliers who source their materials from forest lands certified by an independent, third-party to be sustainable; and
4. Review and, as appropriate, audit the manufacturing process of our paper suppliers and the environmental forest practices of the operations from which their wood fiber is sourced, to ensure that the paper products containing recycled fiber and forest management processes are in accordance with the claims of the supplier.

Office Depot believes that an increasing reliance on independent verification strengthens our public commitment to environmental stewardship and our responsible, transparent and accountable approach to the implementation of our policies.