Office Depot launches green promotion in NASCAR

Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR® and co-primary sponsor of Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team, announced today that it is launching an innovative partnership with EarthEra®, a program created by NextEra™ Energy Resources, North America’s largest producer of wind and solar power.

To launch the partnership’s first program, “Greener Shipping", Office Depot will balance the carbon footprint of the Subway Fresh Fit 600 race on Saturday, April 10, at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Through its purchase of EarthEra products, Office Depot is helping the race “grow greener" by balancing the carbon footprint of not just the cars on the track, but fan travel, race team travel and track operations during the race. Due to the innovative structure of the EarthEra program, 100 percent of the revenue from Office Depot’s purchase will be used to create new renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, in the United States – thus helping the country transition to a greener and cleaner energy future.

Special Green-Themed Race Car Launches ‘Greener Shipping’

The No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy Impala driven by two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ champion Tony Stewart will feature a special green-themed paint scheme during the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at PIR (Saturday, April 10, 7 p.m. EST, FOX). The paint scheme will include the Office Depot and EarthEra logos on the car’s rear TV panel with a “Greener Shipping" message. The new Office Depot Greener Shipping Program encourages eligible Office Depot customers to “grow greener" by changing how they buy office supplies. When eligible customers eliminate small orders, increase average order size and help reduce delivery frequency, Office Depot will provide rebates on certain green products and purchase EarthEra products on the customer’s behalf.

“Our philosophy at Office Depot is that every step that individuals, businesses or sporting events take to ‘grow greener’ is a step in a positive direction," said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot. “By involving our NASCAR sponsorship, we specifically wanted to move the dialogue on going greener away from its typical niche, to a much wider audience. In addition, like many global corporations with leading environmental programs, we also have a large segment of customers who are NASCAR fans. As part of our extensive effort to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we are proud to work with the NASCAR community to help continue its efforts to grow greener."

Tony Stewart, who is currently eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ point standings, said he was excited to lend his support to the partnership between Office Depot and EarthEra.

“I love spending time outdoors, especially when I’m at home, and taking care of the environment is important to me," said Stewart, who lives near his hometown of Columbus, Indiana, and functions in the dual role of driver and team owner at Stewart-Haas Racing. “As a business owner myself, I’m always trying to find better and more efficient ways of doing things to cut down on waste, and I’m proud to help get the word out about the partnership between Office Depot and EarthEra."

NASCAR and its partners share a commitment to preserving the environment. The sport has launched many programs to help it operate in an environmentally responsible way. A comprehensive green strategy for NASCAR and its stakeholders is focused on reducing the sport's carbon footprint and waste production while promoting conservation and sustainability messages to fans.

“We are proud to partner with Office Depot to reduce the carbon footprint of the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway," said Nate Hanson, Vice President Power Marketing, NextEra Energy Resources. “We applaud Office Depot for continuing to take a leadership role in educating race fans, promoting greener office product solutions for its customers and for recognizing the benefits of EarthEra, a clean energy future."