PNC Campus Shop Bag Policy Reduces Carbon Footprint

Purdue University North Central Campus Shop, operated by Follett Higher Education Group, is instituting a new no-bag initiative aimed at reducing waste to support socially responsible business practices. This fall, when PNC students obtain their course materials and other merchandise, the North Central Campus Shop will no longer automatically place their items in a shopping bag. Instead, bookstore associates will only supply bags for those who request them.

The Campus Shop, the official on-campus bookstore of Purdue University North Central, joins many other Follett stores to prevent 3.5 million bags from entering landfills and waterways. Students can support these efforts by foregoing bags and using backpacks, purses or reusable bags when shopping at the North Central Campus Shop. This policy is intended to reduce the carbon imprint used to produce the disposable bag. Bags, both plastic and paper, are not inherently biodegradable and can take up to 1,000 years to break down.

"Many of our students actively seek opportunities to reduce their environmental impact and this simple step can contribute greatly to individual and campus sustainability goals," said Susan Pearson, manager of North Central Campus Shop. "To ensure we continue to meet all our customer needs, the North Central Campus Shop will have bags available, but we are confident a majority of our customers will support this sustainability effort."

Many PNC Campus Shop programs focus on reusing and extending the lives of books beyond a single printing. Follett maintains the largest inventory of used textbooks in the industry and further limits the need for producing print textbooks with year-round buyback services as well as rental and digital textbook assortments.

The Campus Shop, the official on-campus bookstore of Purdue University North Central, offers products and services to students, faculty and the surrounding community both in-store and online at efollett.com. The bookstore, located in the Library-Student-Faculty Building, is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 3p.m.

Follett is also the major benefactor of the Thirst Project, a nonprofit organization focused on providing clean drinking water in areas without access.

With more than 930 stores across the U.S. and Canada, Follett recognizes that even the smallest policy change has a significant impact. Follett continues to identify opportunities to improve its sustainability practices, including the installation of T5 fluorescent lighting to deliver significant energy savings, recycling programs for shipping materials and the disposal of electronics.

For more information about Follett's stance on corporate responsibility, visit www.fheg.follett.com. To learn more about Follett's textbook rental and digital programs, visit www.rentatext.com and www.cafescribe.com.

Follett Higher Education Group of Oak Brook, Ill. is the leading provider of bookstore services and supplier of used books in North America, servicing 5 million students and more than 400,000 faculty members through more than 900 stores. It services more than 1,600 independent campus stores with its wholesale services and has the most visited ecommerce collegiate website, efollett.com that provides services and products through a network of more than 1,000 campus stores.

Follett Corporation, a $2.7 billion, privately-held company, provides products, services and solutions to the educational marketplace. Follett Corporation was founded in 187, and is headquartered in River Grove, Ill.