Forest Ethics - Sears Campaign
Catalog retailers send out 20 billion catalogs a year - 67 catalogs for every person in the U.S. - and almost none of the paper contains any recycled content. "Because of this over 8 million tons of trees a year go into catalogs alone—which means 8 million tons of trees are going from forests to the landfill, with a short appearance as junk mail in between" (catalogcutdown.org). Logging companies use a process called clear cutting, where companies indiscriminately log trees - selecting only those that can be used for their paper - and leave the rest of the forest in burn piles. These piles of charred trees cannot be naturally broken down so their nutrients do not go back into the soil. Clear cutting leads to species displacement and extinction, soil erosion, and loss of livelihood for indigenous populations. Over 600 First Nations call the Boreal home.
Much of this clear cutting occurs in the North American Boreal Forest, the largest remaining endangered forest in the world. It is the largest terrestrial storehouse of carbon, making it a critical buffer against global climate change, and holds more fresh water than anywhere else in the world. The Boreal also provides crucial habitat for a variety of species, including North America's largest endangered land mammal - the Woodland Caribou - and half of North America's songbirds.
Forest Ethics, an international grassroots organization, works with companies interested in reforming their policies while local organizations like Eco-Advocates place pressure on companies who are the leading perpetrators of this devastation. Companies are urged to increase recycled content and only source paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council - the credible standard for sustainable logging, in order to decrease their impact, combat global climate change, preserve species, and lessen the amount of paper filling landfills.
After several large victories, including Victoria's Secret, Dell and William Sonoma, Sears is the next target. Sears Holding Company sends out 425 million catalogs a year; they are the largest catalog producing company without a responsible paper policy - for now.
For more information visit catalogcutdown.org!