VICTORIES!
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FOREST CONSERVATION NEWS TODAY
Mahogany Gains Important Protections, Staples Supports Recycled Papers
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Forest Networking a Project of Forests.org, Inc.
http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Portal
http://www.EnvironmentalSustainability.info/ -- Eco-Portal
http://www.ClimateArk.org/ -- Climate Change Portal
November 16, 2002
OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Forests.org
This past week has brought two highly significant and hard fought
forest conservation victories. The Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species approved stricter controls on the mahogany trade
from Latin America to shield the species from eventual extinction
caused by over harvesting. Illegal, poorly planned and overly-
intensive mahogany logging is a crucial threat to remaining
rainforests in Central and South America. And Staples, Inc. committed
to reducing its consumption of paper products made from endangered
forests, winning the endorsement of conservation groups that have
spent years drawing attention to Staples' impact on the world's
surviving virgin forests. Both the mahogany trade and Staples' impact
upon endangered forest have been the target of forest conservation
activists for years. Forests.org and our network had a small role to
play in both victories, having repeatedly responded to action alerts
and relaying information from the lead organizations in these
campaigns. Congratulations to the forest conservation movement!
The success of these measures will depend critically upon the
definition of "endangered forests" and "sustainable forestry".
Eco-centric forest conservationists must remain vigilant, ensuring
that these positive developments are steps towards ending commercial
development in all primary forests, and are not used as justification
for logging the World's remaining endangered ancient forests. Global
ecological sustainability demands an end to commercial development of
remaining ecologically and evolutionarily intact forest ecosystems.
We must not allow Forest Stewardship Council and other certification
standards to legitimize logging primary forests. First time logging
of ancient forests chews up and irreparably damages millions of years
of evolutionary history, genetic diversity and ecological structure,
function and composition. Future humanity will look back in disbelief
that paper and other throw away consumer products were ever produced
by destroying endangered and sacred ancient forests - there is no
justification for commercially scaled ancient forest ecocide. Let us
now throw our support behind the follow-on campaign to target other
office supply stores including Office Depot. Information on how to
get involved in this exciting campaign can be found in the last item
below.
g.b.
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
ITEM #1
Title: UN body regulates mahogany trade, Brazil opposed
Source: Copyright 2002 Reuters
Date: November 15, 2002
SANTIAGO, Chile - Environmentalists hailed a decision by a U.N. body
to curb the global trade in mahogany, the most valuable tree species
in the Amazon jungle, while Brazil called the move a threat to free
trade.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, meeting
in Santiago, approved a proposal by Guatemala and Nicaragua to impose
stricter controls on mahogany trade from Latin America to shield the
species from eventual extinction caused by overharvesting.
Those countries that export the prized hardwood in the form of logs,
sawed wood or veneer sheets will have one year to bring their
practices into compliance with the new rules, which do not apply to
countries like Indonesia and Malaysia where the species has been
artificially introduced.
"This is not just a victory for mahogany. It's a victory for the
tropical jungles, the indigenous communities of the Amazon and for
CITES itself," said Caroll Muffet of the environmentalist group
Defenders of Wildlife.
Heavy world demand for mahogany, led by the United States, has shrunk
the species' population in Central America and Mexico by 70 percent
since the 1950s, conservationists say.
Brazil produces nearly half the world's supply of the wood, which is
used to make furniture, musical instruments and coffins. Brazil
outlawed the trade and transport of mahogany last year after finding
70 percent of the timber was being logged illegally.
At that time, it warned there would be no mahogany left in the Amazon
region within eight years at current levels of deforestation.
But environmentalists, who say illegal harvesting continues unabated,
are pressing the Brazilian government to take stronger measures to
halt the clandestine trade.
The country's president-elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pledged his
support for trade restrictions under CITES, but the outgoing
government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso opposed the
proposal.
"Brazil believes that accepting the proposal is a barrier to free
trade because mahogany is not an endangered species in Brazil," said
Mitzi Costa, Brazil's delegate to CITES.
Greenpeace argues those who least benefit from the mahogany trade are
local communities.
Black market traders in Brazil pay local loggers about $50 dollars for
a single mahogany tree and then sell the wood for about $1,200 at the
Brazilian port of Belem.
That same tree can make about 15 tables worth a total of $18,000 in
the marketplace, the group said.
CITES is considering about 60 proposals to either restrict or relax
trade rules for different wildlife and plant species.
ITEM #2
Title: Staples Plans Move to Recycled Paper
Source: Copyright 2002 Environment News Service
Date: November 12, 2002
Byline: Cat Lazaroff
WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2002 (ENS) - In what could mark the
beginning of a shift in how the paper industry does business, office
supply giant Staples, Inc. today committed to bold steps aimed at
reducing its consumption of paper products made from endangered
forests. The company's new environmental paper procurement policy has
won the endorsement of conservation groups that have spent years
drawing attention to Staples' impact on the world's surviving virgin
forests.
Under the new policy, Staples, an $11 billion retailer of office
supplies and business services, pledged to phase out purchases of
paper products from endangered forests, and achieve an average of 30
percent post consumer recycled content across all paper products sold
by the company.
Staples will also provide annual public reports on its progress toward
reaching these goals, aggressively market and promote recycled paper
products, and create an environmental affairs division headed by a
senior executive reporting to the Staples CEO.
"This is a significant moment for Staples and our commitment to
environmental stewardship," said Staples' vice chair Joseph
Vassalluzzo. "We are proud of our solid history of dedication
to the environment that has brought us to this important milestone. We
now embrace the work ahead toward realizing our environmental goals."
Representatives of groups that have been some of Staples' staunchest
foes joined the company in announcing the new environmental policy
today.
"Today is a milestone for forest protection and recycled paper," said
Todd Paglia, campaign director at the San Francisco, California
conservation group ForestEthics.
"Staples has put itself way ahead of the pack." Paglia said the
agreement is the culmination of a two year effort by The Paper
Campaign, a coalition of dozens of citizen groups dedicated to moving
the marketplace towards recycled paper. The coalition is led by
ForestEthics and the Dogwood Alliance, which seeks to protect southern
U.S. forests from their largest consumer, the pulp and paper industry.
After Staples' announcement today of its new environmental procurement
policy, The Paper Campaign has called off its two year old campaign
targeting the company.
The grassroots campaign has included more than 600 demonstrations,
almost 35 banners dropped on storefronts, 21 arrests in acts of civil
disobedience, street theater, more than 15,000 postcards, thousands of
phone calls to the corporate headquarters and regional offices,
hundreds of letters from concerned citizens, coverage in national and
local media outlets, a shareholder's resolution, and flying the CEO
over clearcuts on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
"Staples' new policy is the beginning of the end of the practice of
destroying endangered forests to make disposable paper products," said
Paglia. "Staples' huge purchasing power will now become a force to
protect endangered forests and increase the availability of recycled
paper products. This is good news for consumers and businesses too,
since the quality and price of recycled paper have never been better."
Defining Endangered
Staples' vice chair Vassalluzzo was vague about some of the details of
the nascent purchasing policy at a press conference today. The company
has yet to defined which forest areas it will seek to project by
barring purchases of paper from those trees, for example.
"The process of identifying and mapping those forests around the world
is underway," Vassalluzzo said, adding that the company will seek
input from conservation groups, scientific experts and others in
determining which forests should be defined as endangered.
A new webpage regarding the purchasing policy notes that, "Though
there is much debate on the definition of endangered forests, we
include those forests with high conservation value."
In the meantime, Staples plans to rely on certification to ensure that
the products it buys come from well managed forests.
"By the end of 2006, we will offer only certified paper products or as
many such products as possible within the constraints of market
conditions, consumer demand and cost factors," the company website
states.
The company has not set a deadline for meeting its self imposed goal
of selling an average of 30 percent post consumer recycled content
across all paper products carried by the company. Today, the company
estimates that the percentage of post consumer waste paper in its
product line "is in the single digit range," said Vassalluzzo.
To boost those numbers, the company plans to work with its suppliers
to increase the availability of recycled paper products, and to
provide incentives for consumers to choose recycled content paper.
Staples plans to educate customers about the benefits of recycling and
the use of products made from recycled resources, which currently are
priced a bit higher than those made from virgin wood.
One means of reducing the price of recycled paper is to increase
consumer demand, Vassalluzzo noted. Staples will have help in this
task from conservation groups that already work to educate their
members about the benefits of buying recycled products.
The Paper Campaign has already received commitments from a number of
companies, including market giants like Hewlett Packard, IBM, Intel,
and Microsoft, to phase out their use of virgin paper, and phase in
post consumer recycled products.
"We will encourage them to go to Staples and request high post
consumer content," said Paglia of ForestEthics.
Staples now offers about 1,000 recycled content products, from copy
paper to corrugated storage boxes to remanufactured ink cartridges.
The company's latest consumer effort is a week long ink jet cartridge
recycling program to celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15.
"Customers who turn in empty ink jet cartridges at Staples stores
through November 16 will be rewarded with a free ream of Staples brand
30 percent recycled copy paper," explained Vassalluzzo.
Saving The Forests for the Trees
Conservation groups said the new Staples' policy is likely to reduce
the timbering pressures on southern U.S. forests, the most
biologically diverse forests in North America, which produce 25
percent of the world's paper products and two-thirds of the paper made
in the U.S. International Paper and Georgia Pacific, the two primary
loggers of southern forests, are major suppliers to Staples.
"Staples' new policy is a big win for America's heritage forests in
the southern U.S., where paper production is destroying millions of
acres of forests a year," said Danna Smith, director of The Paper
Campaign for Dogwood Alliance. "Staples' announcement today creates a
mandate from the marketplace for large paper producers like
International Paper to rely more on recycled fiber and less on
destroying Southern forests."
Areas of old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest also continue to
be logged for the paper industry, and the Bush administration has
proposed increasing logging in all national forests in the name of
reducing the danger of wildfires.
"Staples' shift toward greener pastures reflects a positive trend that
will lead to less logging in our endangered U.S. national forests,"
said Andrew George, campaign coordinator for the National Forest
Protection Alliance. "At a time when Congress and the Bush
administration are taking U.S. National Forest policy in a dangerous
direction, it is good to see an enlightened market shift away from the
outdated dependence on public forests."
Environmentalists also hope that Staples' move will help protect the
boreal forests of Canada, breeding ground of 40 percent of North
America's waterfowl and billions of migratory songbirds and hundreds
of species including caribou, wolves and bears. Some of Staples' major
suppliers, including Domtar, Xerox and Weyerhaeuser are involved in
logging Canada's boreal forest.
With recycled paper now becoming comparable to virgin fiber in quality
and price, The Paper Campaign is hoping that other office supply
companies will begin moving away from cutting trees for paper. The
campaign has called off a national day of action against Staples,
planned for months to take place this Wednesday, and now plans to
shift its attention to Staples' competitors Office Depot, Office Max
and Corporate Express. "One day we're going to look back in disbelief
that paper was ever produced by destroying endangered forests," said
the Dogwood Alliance's Smith.
ITEM #3
Title: Historic Victory for Mahogany and Ancient Forests
Source: Greenpeace
Date: November 13, 2002
Greenpeace today joyfully welcomed the outcome of the CITES vote to
list mahogany on Appendix II thus giving the tree species a fighting
chance to survive under controlled and legal trade.
The result of today's vote effectively means that trade of the highly
valuable species will be from sustainable sources and strictly managed
forests.
"Greenpeace has been campaigning on mahogany for the past ten years
and is very proud of the final result," said Paulo Adario of
Greenpeace. "This is a victory for mahogany, the environment and the
people of Latin America forests who depend of forest resources for
their survival."
The proposal to list mahogany on Appendix II of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was submitted by
Nicaragua and supported by Guatemala. During the discussions in
today's session at the 12th Conference of the Parties to CITES
delegates from Brazil and Bolivia made strong statements against the
listing; however, the UK, EU and Central American countries stressed
how the Appendix II listing will not only protect the species, but
also safeguard the market and protect consumers from illegal trade.
The particular species, Big Leaf Mahogany, is found in the neotropical
forests that range from the South of Mexico through Central America
and down to the Amazon.
This afternoon's victory was gained through secret ballot. Of the
votes needed to carry the proposal, 68 were in favour, 30 against, 14
abstentions and 3 ballot forms were spoiled. According to the rules
and procedures of CITES, there is a slight chance that the proposal
could be brought back to plenary for consideration by all the
delegates at which time a two-thirds vote is needed to agree to reopen
the discussion.
Greenpeace calls on Brazil and Bolivia to accept the decision of CITES
delegates and ensure that their countries will do their best to
implement sustainable mahogany logging and legal trade which will
result from the Appendix II listing.
"Today's decision sends a very clear signal to the global market that
only legal, social and environmentally sustainable timber should be
traded," said Tim Birch of Greenpeace. "The tide is turning in favour
of the world's ancient forests. Markets and consumers are demanding
sustainable forest products and this is a strong step toward
delivering on their demands."
ITEM #4
Title: CITES Delegates Vote to Shield Endangered Species
Source: Copyright 2002 Environment News Service
Date: November 15, 2002
SANTIAGO, Chile, November 15, 2002 (ENS) - Environmentalists have
declared major victories at the United Nations conference on trade in
endangered species. Landmark decisions today to protect mahogany and
the entire genus of the seahorse, along with a last minute decision in
favor of regulating the trade of basking and whale sharks, capped the
two week conference, which also saw a resounding defeat of Japanese
efforts to increase whaling.
Although the approval of one time ivory sales and a failed effort to
protect the Patagonian toothfish disappointed some conservationists,
most believe the 12th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was a positive step
forward in the protection of endangered species.
"These decisions will have significant benefit, not only for wildlife
but for communities whose livelihoods depend on sustainable trade,"
said Susan Lieberman, head of WWF's delegation. "For the first time,
CITES has assumed an important new role by regulating international
trade in species traditionally regarded as commodities rather than
wildlife."
The decision to list big-leaf mahogany, also known as American
mahogany, on Appendix II of CITES is clear evidence of this new role,
Lieberman said. Trade in species listed on Appendix II is regulated
through the use of export permits. The mahogany listing includes logs,
sawn wood and veneer sheets. "It is highly significant that after 10
years of discussion, the Parties to CITES have agreed to regulate the
trade in Latin American mahogany," said CITES Secretary-General
William Wijnstekers. "The well tested control measures developed under
CITES will prove invaluable for discouraging illegal trade. This
decision will also benefit local and indigenous communities who have
lost out to the illegal traders."
Big-leaf mahogany trees take some 60 years to mature and can reach a
height of 500 feet. Worldwide demand for mahogany furniture has caused
wholesale stripping of Amazon forests, resulting in an estimated 70
percent depletion of the world's supply.
"Individual trees are so valuable that roads are often cut through
virgin forest to fell and extract a single specimen," said Caroll
Muffett, director of international programs for the Defenders of
Wildlife. "By bringing mahogany exploitation under control, CITES
rules will help slow the pace of deforestation, and help prevent
violent intrusions onto indigenous and protected lands where much of
the remaining mahogany occurs."
The United States is the world's largest importer of mahogany,
but the U.S. delegation supported the decision.
"We cannot take the risk that 50 years from now the only place anyone
will see mahogany is in an old desk or chair," said Assistant
Secretary of Interior Craig Manson, one of two leaders of the U.S.
delegation to the Santiago conference.
"[This] will ensure that mahogany will be harvested in a sustainable
manner and help range states, especially Central America countries,
better manage their forests."
Exporting countries have one year to come into compliance with CITES
rules for legal and sustainable harvesting. The listing only applies
to Central and South America, where big-leafed mahogany is native. The
trees grow from the south of Mexico throughout Central and South
America to Bolivia and Brazil, including large portions of the Amazon
Basin.
The Appendix II listing does not apply to Indonesia, Malaysia and
other countries that grow introduced mahogany trees.
Marine species were the source of considerable debate during the
Santiago conference, and in today's final plenary session, attendees
reversed earlier decisions and voted to list whale and basking sharks
on Appendix II. These are the first sharks to be listed by CITES.
Opponents to the listing, led by Japan, claimed there was not enough
scientific evidence to justify the proposal. In committee, the measure
fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority required for listing
on Appendix II. In the plenary session, however, the whale shark
listing was approved 81 for and 37 against, and the basking shark
listing approved with 82 for and 36 against.
"There is no doubt that the species meet the criteria for inclusion in
Appendix II," said Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC, a
wildlife trade monitoring network. "There is clear historical evidence
that populations have declined as a result of fishing to supply
international trade."
Whale and basking sharks are the world's two largest fish species, and
both are hunted for their meat and fins. The fins of whale sharks
fetch high prices in Asia, with a single fin reported to have sold for
$15,000 in 1999. Both species are also highly migratory and often
caught and killed accidentally as by-catch.
Conservationists hailed the defeat of Japanese proposals to resume
trade of minke and Bryde's whales while also praising the decision to
list all 32 species of seahorses on Appendix II.
"This listing is a call to action," said Amanda Vincent, professor
with the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre and
director of Project Seahorse. "The challenge now is for countries to
regulate the vast international trade so well that seahorse
populations begin to recover. Such an ambitious endeavor will require
all possible collaborations. The CITES decision certainly marks a good
beginning for the future of the world's seahorses."
According to the WWF, an estimated 24 million seahorses will be
harvested this year, sold for aquariums or for use in Asian medicines.
Seahorses, which live in tropical and sub-tropical waters, are also
often caught as by-catch and killed by pollution and coastal
development. Trade is estimated to be growing by eight to 10 percent
per year.
An Australian led effort to provide the same protection for the
Patagonian toothfish was met with stout resistance by the Chilean
delegation. Patagonian toothfish is often served in restaurants as
Chilean sea bass, and populations of the fish have sharply decreased
due to increased consumption. Pressures from legal and pirate fishing
have some scientists concerned the fish could be commercially extinct
in several years.
U.S. officials have taken credit for brokering a voluntary resolution
that they have said will improve international monitoring of harvest
and trade of the toothfish. The resolution was unanimously accepted by
the Parties at the conference, but it was met with sharp criticism by
some conservationists.
"If the U.S. State Department is equating the new protections for
seahorses with the toothless toothfish resolution, then they're
telling one whopper of a fish tale," said Andrea Kavanagh, manager of
the Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass campaign. "The end result of this
backroom deal is a toothfish resolution with no teeth, and no new
protections for the species and the fishermen who depend on them.
Illegal fishermen have just gotten the message that they can continue
business as usual."
But not all conservationists see the brokered deal as a complete loss.
"This is a small, but significant step toward reducing the rampant
pirate fishing that is wiping out whole populations of this species
across the Southern Hemisphere," said Ginette Hemley, vice president
of species conservation at WWF.
"Unfortunately, there were not enough countries willing to support
stronger measures to protect toothfish, but we see this as a start."
The decision to allow three African countries to engage in a one-time
sale of ivory stockpiles also drew mixed reviews from
conservationists. CITES will allow Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa
to make one-time sales of ivory of 10, 20 and 30 tons, respectively.
The stocks have been collected from elephants that died of natural
causes or as a result of government regulated control of problem
animals.
The decision to allow the one-time ivory sales has been
"misrepresented in the media coverage thus far," said Tom Milliken,
director TRAFFIC's East/Southern Africa program. The sales are
strictly conditional and cannot proceed until monitoring baselines
have been established, he explained.
"If this is successful, we may achieve a significant advance in how
elephant populations are managed, and in particular, how ivory is
traded in a way that limits impacts on wild populations," Milliken
said.
Additional proposals to allow others to engage in one-time sales and
to set annual quotas of ivory trade were withdrawn, but there is
concern that even one-time legal trades could provide cover for
illegal poaching and smuggling of ivory.
"The impacts of this decision won't be limited to South Africa or
Namibia," said Muffett of the Defenders of Wildlife.
"Neither elephants nor poachers respect international borders. This
decision will send a signal to poachers everywhere that elephants are
fair game again, putting elephants at risk wherever they occur."
Muffett faulted the Bush administration for not actively taking the
lead on the ivory trade issue.
"The United States' silence on so many issues is particularly
regrettable when you consider how effective our government can be when
it speaks out," said Muffett, pointing to the positive effects of U.S.
leadership on marine issues at CITES, including its help in derailing
Japan's efforts to reopen international trade in whales.
But he faulted the Bush administration for avoiding leadership on
other issues. "This administration will be remembered more for
sacrificing the elephant than for helping save the sharks," Muffett
said.
U.S. officials rejected criticism of their role at the Santiago
meeting, and Manson said "emotions run high any time you bring up the
issue of elephants."
"In the end, we supported a solution that will allow Botswana,
Namibia, and South Africa to raise funds for elephant conservation
through a one-time sale while providing safeguards to ensure the sale
will not hurt elephant populations," the U.S. State Department
official said. "The one-time sale will be good for elephant
conservation."
Other decisions from the conference include the transfer of the
yellow-naped parrot, the yellow-headed parrot and the blue-headed
macaw, from Appendix II to Appendix I. This means that no commercial
trade will be permitted. The three species are found in Central and
South America. Twelve proposals to include 26 species of Aisan
freshwater turtles and tortoises on Appendix II were unanimously
approved by CITES delegates. A UK proposal to permit a Cayman Islands
turtle farm to sell and license the export of shells from endangered
green turtles was rejected.
Delegates also agreed to set a zero quota for commercial trade in the
Black Sea population of bottlenose dolphins, which was already listed
on Appendix II.
A number of threatened species in Madagascar will also receive
stronger protection. These are the flat-tailed tortoise, various
chameleons, a burrowing frog, and the Madagascan orchid.
Conference delegates also passed decisions to strengthen domestic
conservation of threatened or endangered species already controlled by
CITES, including bears, the tiger, Asian leopards, snow leopards,
clouded leopards, sturgeon and the Tibetan antelope.
Some 1,200 participants from 141 governments attended the conference,
as well as numerous observer organizations. COP-13 will be held in
Thailand at the end of 2004 or in the first half of 2005.
ITEM #5
Title: Environmentalists vow to pressure Office Depot into more
recycled products
Source: Copyright 2002 Sun-Sentinel
Date: November 14, 2002
Byline: David Fleshler, Staff Writer
After embarrassing Staples Inc. into agreeing to sell more recycled
products, a coalition of environmental groups is threatening to launch
a similar campaign against Office Depot.
ForestEthics and the Dogwood Alliance declared victory Tuesday in
their two-year campaign to persuade Staples to increase the recycled
content of its paper products to 30 percent. Now the two groups are
preparing a letter to Office Depot urging the Delray Beach company to
make the same commitment or face a campaign of picketing, shareholder
actions and denunciations by celebrities.
"Staples now sets a very high standard," said Todd Paglia, director of
the Paper Campaign for ForestEthics, a San Francisco environmental
group. "We're hoping that Office Depot responds with a strong
environmental policy, and there isn't a year or two of campaigning on
this issue to get them to see the light."
Eileen Dunn, Office Depot's vice president for investor and public
relations, said the company already has high environmental standards.
She said Office Depot offers more than 1,700 products made at least
partially from recycled materials, including a desk organizer with a
recycled content of 85 percent. And she said the company, which
operates more than 1,000 stores, requires suppliers to certify that
none of their products comes from rain forests or old-growth forests.
Dunn said the company's recycling percentage was already "in the
double digits," but she was unable to say what the percentage was.
"Office Depot has been focused on the environment," she said.
But Paglia said Staples had also required suppliers to certify that no
paper came from old-growth forests, and the claim turned out not to be
true. ForestEthics released a report last August, "The Credibility Gap
at Staples," which claimed that Staples' suppliers cut down trees in
environmentally sensitive forests of Indonesia and northern Canada.
Although he didn't know the percentage of recycled paper at Office
Depot, Paglia said the industrywide percentage was about 5 percent.
The biggest paper-producing region in the world is the southern United
States, where the paper industry consumes more than 5 million acres of
forest a year, according to the Dogwood Alliance, a North Carolina-
based coalition of environmental groups. The paper industry also
reaches into the rain forests of Indonesia, the boreal forests of
Canada and the old-growth forests of British Columbia, Paglia said.
"These are areas where wolves and caribou roam, where you have some of
the last wild places of North America," he said. "And office memos and
Post-it pads are being made out of those forests."
The campaign against Staples involved nationwide picketing, with more
than 200 demonstrations in only one day last year. Thousands of etters
were sent to the company's chief executive. The rock group R.E.M.
entered the fight.
"Insist that the paper you use is tree-free," said Michael Stipe, the
group's lead singer, in a public service announcement the campaign
aired this year on radio and television as part of its Staples
campaign.
The campaign's organizers said they hope the treatment Staples got
inspires Office Depot and other companies to improve their
environmental records without the need for further prodding.
"We're hoping Office Depot just follows Staples' lead and avoids a
campaign," said Danna Smith of the Dogwood Alliance.
If Office Depot refuses and the campaign begins, protesters will be
armed with an additional weapon: maps to the nearest Staples, which
they will hand out to all Office Depot customers.
"We have a much more powerful campaign against Office Depot, and I'm
hoping we don't have to run it," Paglia said.
Increasing the level of recycled paper isn't easy because it raises
the price. A ream of one type of Staples paper costs $3.99 with no
recycled content, $5.49 with 50 percent recycled content, and $6.89
with 100 percent recycled content, said Owen Davis, Staples' public
relations manager. And the company needs to convince the public that
recycled paper can be high-quality paper, he said.
He said the company would gradually work toward the 30 percent goal,
as long as market conditions allow it. The company has also agreed to
not buy paper produced from "endangered" forests.
"This policy reflects Staples' commitment to the environment," he
said.
ITEM #6
Title: Staples Announces Historic Commitment to Endangered Forests
and Recycled Paper!
Source: American Lands
Date: November 12, 2002
To: All Activists
From: Kelly Sheeham, Dogwood Alliance
Date: November 12, 2002
Following a two-year campaign targeting Staples, the world's largest
office supply store, the company today announced a commitment to phase
out paper products originating from endangered forests and
dramatically increase its sale of recycled paper products. Activists
across the country are celebrating a grassroots victory! Thanks to
each of you that helped make this victory possible!
Under Staples new guidelines, an industry-first, the company will:
1. Phase out purchases of paper products from endangered forests,
including key forests in the Southern US, U.S. National Forests, and
the world's last remaining ancient forests such as the Boreal forests
of Canada
2. Achieve an average of 30% post consumer recycled content across
all paper products' Report annually to the public on its progress
toward reaching these goals
3. Aggressively market and promote recycled paper products both in-
store and through ads and coupons
4. Create an environmental affairs division headed by a senior
executive reporting to Staples CEO
The Staples Campaign has been a huge grassroots campaign challenging
corporate power and demanding accountability for the environmental
impact of products sold by this office supply giant.
The campaign has included over 600 demonstrations, nearly 35 banners
dropped on storefronts, 21 arrests in acts of civil disobedience,
creative street theater, over 15,000 postcards, thousands of phone
calls to the corporate headquarters and regional offices, hundreds of
letters from concerned citizens, 75 children's drawings, coverage in
more than 10 national media outlets and over 50 local media outlets, a
shareholder's resolution, and flying the CEO over clearcuts on the
Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The coalition of groups working on
this campaign has involved dozens of local, regional and national
groups and thousands of individuals. Today's announcement is testament
to the power of thousands of people joining together against a single
corporation to demand environmental change.
In addition, endangered areas in US National Forests, such as the old
growth forests in the Umqua National Forest in Oregon and the diverse
hardwood forests in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas continue
to be logged for paper. As the Bush Administration rolls back
environmental protections for U.S. National Forests, environmentalists
applaud Staples' commitment to phase out products from endangered
forests.
"Staples' shift toward greener pastures reflects a positive trend that
will lead to less logging in our endangered US National Forests," said
Andrew George, Campaign Coordinator for the National Forest Protection
Alliance. "At a time when Congress and the Bush administration are
taking US National Forest policy in a dangerous direction, it is good
to see an enlightened market shift away from the outdated dependence
on public forests."
The announcement comes a day before the 5th National Day of Action
targeting Staples. Instead, we're encouraging people to make Wednesday
a day of celebration for the forests- take a hike, contact the press,
and celebrate our collective success! We are now looking to
Staples' major competitors, including Office Depot, Office Max, and
Corporate Express to follow Staples lead and make a commitment to
endangered forests and recycled paper products. If you want more
information, want to make suggestions for where we should go next, or
get more involved in the Paper Campaign, please give us a call: Liz
Butler ForestEthics 202-487-4908 liz@forestethics.org or Kelly Sheehan
Dogwood Alliance 828-251-2525 x16
The groups who have been involved in the paper campaign targeting
Staples include Dogwood Alliance, ForestEthics, American Lands
Alliance, Allegheny Defense Project, Cascadia Forest Alliance, Center
for a New American Dream, groups of Earth First!, Ecopledge.com, Green
Corps, Kentucky Heartwood, Sierra Student Coalition, Southern
Appalachian Biodiversity Project, Free the Planet, Heartwood, Native
Forest Network, National Forest Protection Alliance, Rainforest Action
Network, Rainforest Relief, ReThink Paper, Student Environmental
Action Coalition, Wild Alabama, Iowa STEP, Shenendoah Ecosystem
Defense Group, GrassRoots Recycling Network, Indiana Forest Alliance
and many other local groups.
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