ODP environmental strategy head awarded for green efforts

BOCA RATON, Fla. Office Depot's director of environmental strategy, Yalmaz Siddiqui, was recognized by the Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN), an influential networks of buyers focused on socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing, as “Responsible Purchaser of the Year.”

According to Chris O’Brien, senior director of the Responsible Purchasing Network, “Yalmaz’s work developing the 2009 Office Depot Green Book catalog of green office products demonstrates his extraordinary commitment to advancing sustainable procurement.  Yalmaz sought RPN input for the standards and specifications portion of the new Green Book and then implemented many of our key recommendations.  Yalmaz’s approach on behalf of Office Depot, reflects corporate best practices in stakeholder engagement, green product definition and green marketing.”

The 2009 Green Book acknowledged by RPN is Office Depot’s fifth annual catalog of environmentally preferable products and contains over 2,200 of Office Depot’s “greenest products.”  Siddiqui was instrumental in designing the catalog, defining the stringent specifications for product inclusion, and writing the educational content to help readers understand what is green, and why and how to go green at the office.