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December 20, 2005: Catalogs Clogging Santa's Sack, Advocacy Group Says

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Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Kansas City infoZine

Catalogs Clogging Santa's Sack, Advocacy Group Says

By B. Blair Dedrick

He's making a list and checking it twice, but who knew Santa's naughty and nice list would be based on good forest conservation practices?

 

Washington, D.C. - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - infoZine - ForestEthics, a California-based forest conservation advocacy group, helped Santa out this year by compiling a list of catalog companies that rank naughty or nice based on their environmental practices.

"Most of these companies never thought about where their paper comes from," said Dan Howells, paper campaign director for ForestEthics. "We raise issues for any company that has a catalog."

In spite of growing Internet sales, the catalog industry mailed more than 18 billion catalogs in 2004, an increase of 5.3 percent from 2003 and more than 40 percent in the last 10 years, according to the Direct Marketing Association.

At issue is the more than 100 million trees' worth of bulk mail that arrives annually in American mailboxes and peaks during the holiday season - the equivalent of deforesting all of Rocky Mountain National Park every four months, according to calculations using data from the U.S. Forest Service and conservation groups that ForestEthics has posted on its Web site.

Of the 19 companies examined by the environmental group, only three - Dell, Williams-Sonoma and Norm Thompson Outfitters - made the "nice" list, which is composed of companies that are "showing leadership on issues that are important for forest protection," Howells said.

The companies are rated on four criteria: use of sustainable paper sources, use of recycled paper, reduction of paper use, and support of the Forest Stewardship Council's certifications for responsible forestry management.

"We're delighted to be considered at the top of the list," said Derek Smith, director of corporate responsibility for the Norm Thompson brand, which sells only online or through its catalogs - Norm Thompson Outfitters, Solutions and Sahalie. "But we know we can do better."

Environmentally sustainable practices are ingrained in the values of the company that began selling hand-tied flies to fishermen in 1949, Smith said. The catalog retailer's online division is the fastest growing part of the business, and Smith said the company is trying to move more sales online, meaning fewer catalogs.

"We try to be as responsible as possible," he said.

Good sustainability practices fit in with Dell Computer's culture as well, spokesman Bryant Hilton said.

The company committed to a forest products stewardship model two years ago, a plan that affected its paper sourcing, an increase in recycled content and a move from printed manuals to computerized ones. So far, Dell is ahead of its planned goals.

"It's not an easy switch," Smith said. "Recycled content is hard to find right now, but it should get easier." On the other side of the list are the "naughty" companies, some of which say they don't deserve the coal.

Elizabeth Borrelli, director of public affairs and corporate social responsibility for Eddie Bauer, said ForestEthics' criteria are too black and white.

While ForestEthics acknowledged that Eddie Bauer uses some recycled content, the group said the company "won't even talk about saving endangered forests or reducing the amount of paper they use" - accusations the company denies.

"We sat down with them numerous times and will continue to do so," Borrelli said, adding that company representatives went on a trip with ForestEthics to learn about endangered forests and have done a study to determine that its paper is not sourced from those areas.

As for paper use, Borrelli said the company "significantly" reduced its mailing list, ensuring there was no duplication or missed change of addresses.

"We may not be where ForestEthics wants us to be, but we are trying," Borrelli said. "I don't want it to sound like we aren't paying attention and don't care. We are interested in the same things they are and would like to see changes."

Tim Lyons, spokesman for J.C. Penney, which got coal in every category except paper reduction, said ForestEthics' standards differ from those of other environmental groups.

"When they say we are using paper from endangered forests, there's a lot of debate about what that means," he said. "We're confident we're doing the right things."

Sears, with its affiliate Lands' End, also received lumps of coal from ForestEthics.

"We've heard their concerns, and we're working on it," said Chris Brathwaite, director of public relations, in an e-mail statement. The company has developed a paper policy that addresses the concerns, Brathwaite said, and is developing practices to support it.

Will their policies be enough to launch either of these companies onto next year's nice list? Maybe, said Howells. He said Sears' policy is good as far as it goes, but lacks goals, a step necessary for ForestEthics.

As for Eddie Bauer, "if they have goals and timelines, I think that's great," he said. "I would love to see that."

For ForestEthics' complete list, go to: www.forestethics.org http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/11962

Topic(s): Forestry News, More Enviro News, Poor Performers, Sustainable Living News

Posted By EcoBC

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