08/08/00 -- VICTORY: Lowe's Announces Initiative to Help Protect World's Forests

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

VICTORY: Lowe's Announces Initiative to Help Protect World's Forests

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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

http://forests.org/web/ -- Discuss Forest Conservation

08/08/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

Lowe's Companies, Inc., the World's second largest home improvement

retailer, today released the details of its "landmark lumber and wood

product procurement policy aimed at helping protect the world's

threatened forests." The announcement includes commitments "to

overhaul the sourcing of lumber and wood in the products it sells

while proactively engaging its wood suppliers and governments to take

immediate steps towards the permanent protection of critical forest."

Lowe's has over $4 billion in annual wood sales and more than 600

stores, and is the 6th home improvement retailer to make sweeping

commitments to overhaul its wood supply. Rainforest Action Network

reports that the policy goes further than any company has gone to

date. Lowe's has also already cancelled its contracts for ramin

dowels from tropical forests in Indonesia. In addition to protecting

ancient forests, the policy includes an immediate ban on wood from the

Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, a pledge to discourage the

conversion of native forests to plantations, expresses concern over

logging of National Forests, and has come out strongly in favor of the

FSC's version of certification (which is more rigorous and concerned

with ecological sustainability than other certification standards).

It is clear that predatory loggers will soon have few places to sell

their ill-gotten wares, as the societal expectation is that companies

that consume timber ensure they are sustainably produced and not from

endangered forests. Huge congratulations to RAN, other groups working

on timber consumption issues, and those on this list that have

responded to action alerts and otherwise partaken in this ongoing

campaign. Recall that 84 Lumber, the 5th largest fifth largest home

improvement retailer in the U.S., remains to be convinced. RAN's

action alert targeting 84 Lumber at:

http://www.ran.org/ran/info_center/aa/aa149.html

is still current. Please take the time to help continue the roll!

g.b.

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ITEM #1

Title: Lowe's Unveils Unprecedented Business Initiative To Help

Protect World's Forests

Source: Lowe's Companies, Inc. Press Release

Date: August 8, 2000

For Immediate Release

Contacts: Brian Peace 336-658-4170

Chris Ahearn 336-658-7387

-- Collaboration with Environmentalists and Wood Suppliers Sets

Company as Global Leader in Responsible Wood Sourcing -

-- Company Creates Healthy Forests Advisory Board --

WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Lowe's Companies, Inc., the world's second largest

home improvement retailer, today released the details of its landmark

lumber and wood product procurement policy aimed at helping protect

the world's threatened forests. The company has committed to overhaul

the sourcing of lumber and wood in the products it sells while

proactively engaging its wood suppliers and governments to take

immediate steps towards the permanent protection of critical forest

areas.

"Our new environmental policy represents a major victory for the

forests and our customers," said Bob Tillman, Lowe's chairman and CEO.

"Our customers expect Lowe's to deliver the best quality lumber and

wood products that have been responsibly harvested and produced by our

suppliers."

"In developing our policy, Lowe's pursued what some in the industry

may consider an unconventional approach," added Mark Kauffman, Lowe's

senior vice president of Merchandising. "We worked closely with the

environmental and scientific communities as well as our suppliers and

facilitated a number of first-ever meetings between these groups."

Today's announcement is the culmination of a multi-stepped corporate

initiative to bring together environmental organizations, including

Rainforest Action Network and the World Resources Institute (WRI),

wood suppliers, governments and industry organizations. Lowe's has

taken an active role in encouraging industry and government

negotiations with groups working to protect endangered forests in

areas including the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and the

Southeastern U.S.

"The end result was a more balanced policy and what we hope will be a

major turning point for environmental discussions in the U.S.," added

Kauffman.

Under the Environmental Policy, Lowe's will:

Aggressively phase out the purchase of wood products from endangered

forests as these areas are identified and mapped. This includes an

immediate ban on wood coming from the Great Bear Rainforest of British

Columbia; Work with suppliers to encourage the maintenance of natural

forests and environmentally responsible forest practices; Give

preference to the procurement of wood products from independently

certified well-managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

is currently the company's preferred certification system, and FSC

certification will be given preference over other certification

systems; Work with our customers to increase the efficiency of wood

use, including the promotion of wood reuse, recycling and advanced

framing techniques; Work with our suppliers to increase the

procurement of quality recycled, engineered and alternative products

(when their environmental benefits are clearly demonstrated),

including alternative fiber and tree-free paper products for printing

and packaging.

Lowe's has already taken a number of important steps to become the

industry leader in implementing responsible wood purchasing. The

company recently eliminated ramin dowels sourced from Indonesia from

its inventory and converted to a domestic poplar species.

Lowe's also announced the formation of a "Healthy Forests Advisory

Board," which will help guide the company through its policy

implementation process and provide counsel on general forestry issues.

The Advisory Board will include environmental groups, environmental

scientists, suppliers, certifiers and buyer groups. The Board's first

actions will be to address a number of on-going environmental issues,

such as the conversion of Southern forests to pine plantations,

commercial logging in U.S. National Forests and illegal logging

concerns in certain foreign countries.

With 1999 sales of $15.9 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is the

world's second largest home improvement retailer. Headquartered in

Wilkesboro, N.C., Lowe's is the 15th largest retailer in the U.S. as

well as the 34th largest retailer worldwide. Lowe's and its 100,000

employees are Improving Home Improvement for nearly five million do-

it-yourself retail and commercial business customers each week at more

than 600 stores in 39 states. For more information, visit lowes.com.

ITEM #2

Title: DO-IT-YOURSELF INDUSTRY LEADER DISCLOSES SWEEPING CHANGES IN

WOOD-BUYING PROGRAM

Source: Rainforest Action Network

221 Pine St., Suite 500

San Francisco, CA 94104

415-398-4404

www.ran.org

Contact: Michael Brune, Shannon Wright

415/398-4404; 415-596-RAIN (mobile)

Date: August 8, 2000

By: Michael Brune, Old Growth Forest Campaigner

LOWE'S 'UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACH' MAY HELP SECURE PROTECTION FOR

WORLD'S REMAINING ENDANGERED FORESTS

North Wilkesboro, NC-In a move with far-reaching implications for the

forest product industry, Lowe's Companies, Inc., today revealed its

new wood product procurement policy that will dramatically alter the

way the company does business. The policy by the world's second

largest home improvement retailer includes detailed provisions for

protection of endangered forests, such as an immediate ban on wood

from the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. The initiative

also addresses critical domestic forest issues such as logging of

National Forests and conversion of native forests to plantations,

among other issues.

"Lowe's has set the global standard for responsible wood buying."

stated Michael Brune, Old Growth Campaign Director for Rainforest

Action Network (RAN). "The end of old growth logging may soon be

within our grasp, thanks in part to leadership from Lowe's."

Lowe's five point policy includes an aggressive phase out of wood from

endangered forests, a strong purchasing preference for wood that is

independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as

coming from well-managed forests, and commitment to engage with

suppliers to improve logging practices and to maintain native forests.

Many of these initiatives are currently underway. For example, Lowe's

has already eliminated ramin dowels derived from endangered tropical

forests in Indonesia.

"We applaud Lowe's for showing uncommon courage and decisiveness in

using its purchasing power to leverage change within the logging

industry," added RAN's Brune. "Industry stalwarts such as Boise

Cascade that don't meet the challenges set by Lowe's, will be branded

as corporate dinosaurs, unable to adapt in the new marketplace."

Today's announcement comes after months of communication with forest

advocacy organizations, including Rainforest Action Network and the

World Resources Institute. In recent months Lowe's has shown unique

persistence in encouraging industry and government representatives to

work with scientists and environmentalists to create solutions to the

problems posed by unsustainable logging.

It is estimated that nearly three quarters of the world's old growth

forests have been logged or degraded, much within the past three

decades. Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has worked with several

dozen major corporations to help them redirect wood purchases towards

sustainable sources. World Resources Institute (WRI) operates Global

Forest Watch, a non-profit agency working to map the world's remaining

intact and threatened forests. Lowe's has worked with the Dogwood

Alliance to further examine unsustainable logging practices in the

Southeastern U.S., with Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) on

ramin dowel sourcing, and with Natural Resources Defense Council on

forest certification issues.

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