Staples challenges universities to create office product

Feb. 9 -- Staples Inc., the office supply company, is sponsoring a global challenge for select universities around the world to create an "innovative environmentally-preferable office product," the retailer said.

The schools participating in the Staples Global EcoEasy Challenge include the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California at Berkeley in the United States as well as schools in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Germany and the Netherlands.

Individual students or in teams of up to five will submit a new design for an existing product, a product that uses "eco-innovative material," or a new product that promotes sustainability, the company said. The grand prize will be $25,000.

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Jim Johnson at 937-964-1289 or jpjohnson@crain.com