Ithaca College

All campus office supply purchasers are advised that - starting Monday, September 10th - orders for desktop delivery service through Staples Advantage™ must total at least $50, an increase from the previously requested $25 order minimum. This move is due to steadily increasing costs for such delivery service, especially as fuel prices rise. It costs Staples as much to deliver a small box of items to your desk as it does to deliver a larger order of office supplies. You are encouraged to plan ahead and “bundle” your orders of office supplies to ensure that you meet this new $50 minimum order threshold. 

The handy “Shopping cart” feature in the StaplesLink online order system allows you to compile requests for needed items and hold them in the system’s memory until you meet the $50 order minimum. You are also reminded that orders over $200 receive an automatic 2% rebate.

Consolidating orders is just one way that Ithaca and Staples can work together to make a positive impact on the environment. When ordering office supplies through the StaplesLink website, you are encouraged to use the Ithaca College approved Paper and Envelope shopping list as well as the new Sustainable Products shopping list. To help Ithaca College achieve its Climate Action Plan goals, all office supply buyers are encouraged to purchase paper products with 30% or higher percentage recycled content where such items are available – our purchase of recycled content paper is tracked and reported in our annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

In the Sustainable Products list, you will find common office items like recycled-content Post-Its™, folders, pens, and labels as well as other sustainable products like “smart” power strips that help save workplace energy. Find even more sustainable products by typing Recycled in the search field in the StaplesLink system to view more than 10,000 available products made from recycled materials.

You are also encouraged to check out the Office Supplies Collection and Reuse (OSCAR) closet to see if items you need are available - for free! - right here on campus.

Staples Inc. has been a leader within the office supplies industry for its focus on sustainability. Mark Buckley, VP for Environmental Affairs for Staples Inc., has spoken twice before on our campus, and he will be a featured presenter during EdEnergy Day on October 1st.  As part of Staples’ “green vision”, which Mark helped to formulate, one corporate goal is to reduce global carbon emissions 50% by 2020. Staples is steadily working to maximize the fuel-efficiency of their fleet vehicles and to structure delivery routes to avoid unnecessary miles.

But Staples is also responsive to customer requests. The more Staples’ customers - like us! - can consolidate our orders, the fewer trips to campus Staples’ trucks have to make, helping lower their costs and reducing carbon emissions. Making fewer, larger orders can help keep office supply prices affordable and enable Staples to continue to offer this convenient desktop delivery service. You might additional consider steps to further consolidate your departmental purchasing by only ordering once per week, by designating “orders in” days in your department, and by purchasing frequently used products in bulk.

Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Robert Cree, Associate VP for Business and Finance
Wayne French, Director of the Center for Print Production
Marian Brown, Special Assistant for Campus and Community Sustainability
Maureen Vogt, Corporate Account Manager, Staples Inc.
Gordon Gatheny, Ithaca College Account Service Representative, Staples Inc.