Regular green LA girl readers know I get my post-consumer recycled toilet paper from my local Staples, so I was happy to see the company scored quite well on environmental nonprofit ForestEthics’ latest report card. Called Green Grades 2010: Report Card on the Paper Practices of the Office Supply Sector (PDF), ForestEthics’ latest report both praises companies that are making eco-friendly paper supplies easier to find — and names and shames less-green companies that are pushing dirty paper.

Among the do-gooders are FedEx Office, Office Depot, and Staples — all of which have greener paper policies in place. But the more general, mass market stores like Target, WalMart, Costco, and Amazon aren’t doing as well. In fact, Amazon’s the one company shamed with a score in the F range. Why? Among other issues, Amazon “appears to have no problem with buying and selling paper from Endangered Forests and other controversial sources, including in the US South,” reports ForestEthics.

This score doesn’t mean Amazon ONLY stocks bad-for-the-earth paper. Being the online retail giant that it is, Amazon does offer FSC-certified and post-consumer recycled paper options for many office products. So while my plan is to keep rewarding the companies with green policies in place by spending my dollars there, I still pay attention to the greenness of the specific products I’m buying.

Not sure what to look for when shopping for green office supplies? Try to opt for high post-consumer recycled content and look for FSC certification to ensure you’re both saving forests and encouraging green business practices.

Earlier:
>> Eco-friendly business envelopes: You’ve got green mail
>> Tweedle Press upcycles your junk mail into personalized stationery
>> Green Stationery: Girly chic cards gone green

Photo by David Neubert

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