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Webster Industries Recognizes Office Depot With Environmental Partner Award For Featuring First & Only Certified Recycled Content Trash Bags In Merchandise Assortment

Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, was recognized with the Environmental Partner Award from Webster Industries, the leading manufacturer of recycled content trash bags. The Award was in recognition of the environmental benefits Office Depot achieved through the sale of 75% recycled ReClaim™ brand trash bags. In 2006 alone, the ReClaim bags sold through Office Depot helped prevent more than 813,794 pounds of plastic from going to landfill or being incinerated.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool, this equates to additional environmental benefits, including:

· Saving 1,004 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions;
· Saving 232,541 gallons of gasoline;
· Taking 217 cars off the road for one year; and
· Saving 1,215 cubic yards of landfill space.

“Office Depot’s environmental strategy is structured around a vision to increasingly buy green, be green and sell green,” said Stephen Olsen, Vice President of Merchandising for Office Depot. “We encourage our customers to look for the recycled option in all the products they buy and we appreciate this Environmental Partner Award in recognition of our commitment to offer innovative products, such as ReClaim trash bags, that improve sustainability and benefit the environment.”

Webster Industries is the first and only company to obtain independent certification for recycled content trash bags from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) – a leading, independent third party auditing and environmental claim certification firm. ReClaim trash bags are certified for 75% recycled content, including 10% postconsumer material, providing customers with the assurance that their purchase truly brings a proven environmental benefit. In addition, ReClaim bags are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified by SCS – meaning that the purchase of ReClaim bags can be counted as “points” or “credits” toward achieving “green building” status. ReClaim are also certified to meet the purchasing guidelines established under the GSA for Environmental Preferable Products.

President of Webster Industries, Jack Shields stated, “We applaud Office Depot’s initiative and commitment to green products and improved sustainability. By offering our ReClaim bags, Office Depot is clearly making an environmental difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste and saving energy. We are pleased to honor the Company’s environmental leadership.”

Office Depot sells more than 3,500 products with recycled content and hundreds more featuring other environmental benefits, including remanufactured, refillable, rechargeable and non-toxic. The Company also provides a wide-range of “green” solutions, including Office Depot’s Tech Recycling Service and its signature Ink and Toner Cartridge Recycling and Battery/Cell Phone Recycling programs. A complete listing of Office Depot’s environmental product assortment is available at www.officedepot.com/buygreen.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool was developed to assist companies and individuals in estimating the life-cycle GHG and energy impacts of purchasing or manufacturing certain materials. It also calculates the GHG and energy benefits of increasing the recycled content of specific materials. The ReCon Tool was last updated August, 2006. The calculator is available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/calculators/ReCon_Online.html.

About Office Depot:

Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company.

Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $15.5 billion, and employs approximately 52,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 43 countries.

Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel -- from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. As of September 29, 2007, Office Depot had 1,212 retail stores in North America and another 384 stores, either company-owned, licensed or franchised, in other parts of the world. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites. With $4.8 billion in online sales during the last twelve months, the Company is also one of the world’s largest e-commerce retailers.

Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com. Media materials specific to Office Depot’s environmental initiatives are available at http://mediarelations.officedepot.cc/environment.

About Webster Industries:

Webster’s environmental leadership, and over 30 years of recycling expertise, allows the company to offer quality trash bags with high recycled content that is certified and also meets requirements for government purchasing and green building certification. Webster has been manufacturing and marketing high quality products since 1957 and is the oldest continuously owned plastic bag manufacturer of consumer products in North America. The company is headquartered in Peabody, Massachusetts with two, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Montgomery, Alabama. All of Webster’s products can be consolidated for maximum freight and service efficiencies. Webster’s experienced customer service representatives and dedicated fleet of trucks equates to an exceptional service record. ReClaim trash bags are available in a variety of sizes, ranging from 7-gallons to 55-gallon bags.

About Scientific Certification Systems (SCS):

SCS is an independent certifier of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims. For over two decades, SCS has developed internationally recognized standards and certification programs aimed at spurring the highest level of environmental improvements, social accountability, and product performance. Its programs span a wide cross-section of the economy, certifying leading accomplishments in agricultural production, food processing and handling, forestry, fisheries, energy, green building, consumer and business product manufacturing, and retail.