Global. ecoeasy. Challenge. In cooperation with Golisano Institute for Sustainability Rochester Institute of Technology

Transcription

1

2 2 / 6 Introduction Staples, the world s leading office products company, together with the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) at (RIT), is launching a prestigious global competition involving select design and engineering schools worldwide. Student teams from these leading schools will have a chance to compete to create the best concept for a sustainable office product. The main objective of the Staples Global EcoEasy SM is to identify new cuttingedge products for the office while solidifying Staples position as a global leader in sustainability. The challenge will culminate in an award of $25,000 in April 2010 to a team with the winning sustainable office product. In addition to financial awards and valuable experience, student teams will have the opportunity to see their ideas brought to life and potentially earn royalties for items sold through Staples. Staples Staples is a proud sponsor of the Global EcoEasy, and is committed to making it easy for customers, associates and communities to help protect the environment. From innovative, environmentally friendly products to carbon and energy initiatives, Staples is focused on positive change that truly makes a difference in the world. The company sells a range of supplies, technology, furniture and business services that help people and businesses be productive. With $23 billion in sales, Staples serves businesses of all sizes and consumers in 27 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The (GIS) at the Rochester Institute of Technology is joining with Staples to lead this. GIS is a research and educational organization developed in partnership with academia, industry and government. The mission of GIS is to promote and advance sustainability objectives through innovations, education and technology development and transfer. GIS also offers a P.h.D program in sustainability with a focus on sustainable production systems, helping to prepare graduates to serve as skilled change agents at all levels of government and nongovernment agencies and business enterprises. GIS research comprises material flow, clean production, energy systems, societal needs, ecological impacts, technology and policy factors and the economics of sustainability.

3 3 / 6 Structure of the The will consist of universities from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia, competing for the opportunity to represent their school at a global finals event to be held in the United States. Approximately 8-12 leading design and engineering universities will be chosen to engage their students to participate in the. We encourage each school to have multiple teams participate, comprised of students from all disciplines engineering, design, business etc. 6-8 concepts will be invited to compete in the global finals event. Develop a business or home office product that allows users to work more easily and in a manner that is more environmentally responsible than existing similar products. This concept could be: A new design to an existing product that represents greater sustainability A product or product line that uses an eco-innovative material A completely new type of product that promotes sustainability (either through the construction or use of that item) We welcome submissions in the following categories: Adhesives, clamps/clips and staplers Binders and clipboards Calculator accessories Cutting instruments (scissors, punches, etc.) Desktop accessories Envelopes, packaging and shippers File folders, pockets and dividers Jan/san and office cleaning supplies Labels and label makers Marker and bulletin and/or planning boards Media storage products (for CD/DVD, flash drives, etc.) Office chairs Paper, note/message pads and cards Storage and organization Shredder and document destruction products Technology accessories (for business machines, calculators and computers) Telephone accessories Writing and drawing instruments and accessories Other miscellaneous office supplies Note: Technology hardware (computers, PDAs, wireless phones, printers, copiers, telephones and similar durable items) are specifically excluded. Concepts that fall into categories not specifically included or excluded above will be considered at the sole discretion of the judges. Staples reserves the right to commercialize the winning design.

4 4 / 6 Judges The judging panel for the global finals event will include a mix of individuals from top academic institutions, business leaders and executives from Staples. The exact composition of the judging panels will be announced later. Judges from academic institutions will not be eligible to participate in the evaluation of submissions from their institutions in this finals event. Judging Criteria Degree to which products represent unique and effective approaches to sustainability (30%) Relevant market potential and product life within Staples target business (25%) Product s overall function and benefits (20%) Originality of concept (10%) Ability to manufacture and distribute to the mass market effectively and in a sustainable way (10%) Degree to which products are free of risks to Staples and Staples customers (5%) Prizes Grand Prize Winner (1st place) $25,000 Runners-Up (2nd and 3rd place) $5,000 Royalties paid to team for any concept brought to market TBD Other Payments Honorarium to participating schools $1,000 Finalist stipend for concept development $2,000 Travel expenses for up to two team members from each finalist team to global finals event $TBD

5 5 / 6 Team Eligibility Rules The official set of rules and eligibility requirements will be provided prior to the contest s kickoff; however, our approach will be consistent with the following guidelines: 1. All team participants must be currently enrolled as students in the school for which they are competing. 2. Each team may have a maximum of 5 students 3. Team members may not be current Staples employees or immediate family members of a current Staples employee. Teams with one or more members affiliated with the Rochester Institute of Technology are also ineligible. 4. The sustainable office product design submitted must be an original work that is studentcreated and student-managed. 5. The competition is limited to students in pursuit of undergraduate or graduate degrees only. Teams must register for the online and will be assigned a professor contact to advise them throughout the process. 6. Each participating team must be sponsored under the full support of their academic institution. 7. Participation in the constitutes full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of the official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. 8. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time for any violation of the official rules. 9. The Finals will be open to the press, including television and other video recording. 10. The is subject to United States federal, state and local laws and regulations. The is being administered in the United States and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Submission Instructions Submission instructions, entry forms and the official set of rules will be provided at the contest kickoff.

6 6 / 6 Approach to Intellectual Property All entrants retain rights to any intellectual property around their concept, but, by entering this contest, must be willing to license any intellectual property exclusively to Staples for global distribution rights to their concept. All entrants grant Staples rights to exclusively license intellectual property embodied in the concept for a period of three years from submission. If Staples chooses to bring to market any concepts, Staples retains the right to extend the period of exclusivity. Prior to advancing to a finals round, all entrants will be required to sign an exclusive licensing agreement. Entrants are responsible for protecting their intellectual property. Potential Schedule September 18, 2009 Invitations sent to selected universities September 30, 2009 Final confirmation of participating universities October 1, 2009 Professors announce the to students October 9, 2009 Professors provide information about teams expected to compete Oct. 9-12, 2009 (approx.) Specific instructions sent to the university contacts. Microsite available for access with full rules and submission instructions December 18, 2009 Teams submit concept papers (idea background, 2D image, and/or other information to help communicate the idea) for judging January 29, 2010 First round judging period ends with finalists identified and stipend awarded to finalist teams April 22, 2010, Earth Day Finalist teams travel to the United States for final judging and announcement of the winner