OfficeMax Recognized as One of World's "Most Ethical Companies"

The office supply retail chain OfficeMax Incorporated has been named one of 2013’s World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, governance, anti-corruption and sustainability. It’s the second consecutive year OfficeMax has received the ethics award, which highlights companies that outperform industry peers when it comes to ethical behavior.

OfficeMax is also one of only nine retail companies – and the only company in the office supply industry – to be named to the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies list. It joins 138 other companies that also received this year’s distinction.

In bestowing OfficeMax with the ethics honors, the Ethisphere Institute noted the company’s in-store recycling programs, focus on sustainable product sourcing, its social accountability audit of suppliers, and its A Day Made Better program benefiting public schools.

“Operating with ethics and integrity is core to our company and culture – our customers, consumers, partners and investors trust OfficeMax because of the transparency and ethical behavior we demand at all levels of our business,” said Ravi Saligram, President and CEO of OfficeMax. “On behalf of our associates worldwide, I am honored by this continued recognition for our commitment to ethical business practices.”

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World’s Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

“Not only did more companies apply for the World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition this year than any year in the past, which demonstrates that ethical activity is an important part of many of these companies’ business models, but we are also seeing more companies be proactive and create new initiatives that expand ethics programs and cultures across entire industries, such as industry-based ethics associations and other activities,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. “We are excited to see the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies take these leadership positions, and embrace the correlation between ethical behavior and improved financial performance.”

The complete list of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be viewed at http://ethisphere.com/wme.

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