Office Depot (which includes OfficeMax) earned a letter grade of D, which reflects an improvement from its F grade in 2018. The company scored 26.25 out of 146.5 possible points, ranking 28th out of the 43 retailers evaluated this year.
The improvement was driven primarily by posting a safer chemicals policy and having clear accountability standards for its suppliers to meet it. While expressing a commitment to “phase out chemicals of concern,” the policy does not provide a beyond restricted substance list (BRSL) or a manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL), nor does it provide public goals or metrics on its impact.
Office Depot promotes “green” products and those with “reduced chemicals,” but offers no criteria, credible third-party certifications, or disclosures in order to justify such claims. While some products in these categories list specific, credible certifications, one has to read each product description on a product-by-product basis to determine this. It also recommends but does not require its suppliers to seek “…safer alternatives for chemicals used in products, packaging…” and to otherwise reduce the use of hazardous chemicals. While we hope that Office Depot’s suppliers accept that recommendation, the lack of requirements, even for just monitoring of progress, hinders the retailer’s performance.
Opportunities for improvement: Office Depot can make progress by presenting public quantifiable goals with clear timelines for reducing and eliminating chemicals of high concern (CHCs), especially any per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic flame retardants, and phthalates that may be in products it sells. The company should require its suppliers to follow through with the “recommendations” that Office Depot is already making. Office Depot should also become a signatory to the Chemical Footprint Project and pilot it with key private label suppliers.
Note: Our assessment is primarily based on the policies and practices of Office Depot, the parent company of Office Max.
Summary of Office Depot’s Grade

5 out of 17.5 points
Policy: Adopted a retailer safer chemicals policy

2.5 out of 5 points
Oversight: Established management responsibilities and incentives

8.75 out of 12.5 points
Accountability: Ensures supply chain accountability

0 out of 13 points
Disclosure: Requires suppliers to report use of chemicals in products to retailer

0 out of 16 points
Action: Reduced or eliminated chemicals of high concern (CHCs) within the last three years

2 out of 13.5 points
Safer Alternatives: Evaluates safer alternatives, avoids regrettable substitutes

5 out of 18 points
Transparency: Demonstrates a commitment to transparency and public disclosure
Office Depot does not appear to encourage or require suppliers to publicly disclose ingredients in products online or on product packaging and does not itself publicly disclose the identity of articles or formulated products that are free of CHCs going beyond regulatory compliance.

0 out of 7.5 points
Chemical Footprint: Evaluates its chemical footprint

3 out of 8.5 points
Third-party Standards: Promotes credible third party standards for safer products
Extra Credit:

0 out of 5 points
Joint Announcement: Public commitment demonstrated through joint announcement

0 out of 15 points
Continuous Improvement: Shows continuous improvement by steadily expanding safer chemicals policy

0 out of 5 points
Safer Products: Program to promote safer products in stores and/or on website

0 out of 5 points
Collaboration: Actively participates in collaborative process to promote safer chemicals

0 out of 5 points
Impact Investment: Investing financial resources into independent research into safer alternatives and/or green chemistry solutions