Staples Inc.’s contract customers now can enable their employees to develop a digital office supply wish list via a new online catalog featuring nearly 8,000 products, speeding up the order process and reducing the environmental impact of paper catalogs.

Contract customers can give all employees access to their own 2008 catalog whenever they need it and employees can submit their order requests to approved purchasers. The online catalog is expected to benefit individuals who are unable to place orders on StaplesLink.com, Staples’ b2b ordering web site. Staples is No. 2 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

Users can browse almost 8,000 products, including office supplies, furniture and technology accessories. The online catalog offers features such as keyword and item number search functionality, page bookmarks and the ability to create, print and e-mail office supply wish lists to the person responsible for ordering office products through StaplesLink.com.

By providing a more convenient alternative to the paper catalog, the Staples contract online catalog makes it easier for procurement managers to achieve program compliance and gain greater cost efficiencies, says Marci Grebstein, vice president of marketing for the Staples contract division. Our customers are increasingly looking for us to provide them with more environmentally friendly solutions. The online catalog provides yet another tool to help them reduce the environmental impacts of their office products purchase.