A record-setting 225 protests and events were held against Victoria's Secret today for its environmentally-devastating catalog business. The company mails more than a million catalogs a day, which contain little to no recycled content, and the paper that they use for these catalogs comes from some of the world's last remaining Endangered Forests.
Victoria's Secret, which has now been subject to more than 625 protests over the past two years, has never experienced so many protests in one day. This escalation in the international campaign against the company reflects increased concern about the approaching June deadline for the renewal of the company's paper contract, which is at the heart of the controversy around Victoria's Secrets' catalogs. Victoria's Secret's contract with International Paper links the company's catalogs directly to the destruction of Endangered Forests, thus implicating them in a host of other issues.
'Victoria's Secret isn't just delivering a mountain of catalogs to your door, they're also delivering the destruction of some the world's last remaining Endangered Forests, forests that are critical for regulating global climate, cleaning our air and water, and providing habitat for key species,' said Dan Howells of ForestEthics. 'People across the country are outraged, and with good reason.'
Victoria's Secret prints 395 million catalogs a year, predominately on virgin paper that comes directly from forests, thanks to a contract with International Paper that is up for renewal in June. International Paper is sourcing fiber for their paper from companies such as West Fraser, a known destroyer of Endangered Forests. Since the campaign began, some progress has been made. Victoria's Secret has switched their clearance catalogs to 80% post-consumer recycled content and as of February began using Forest Stewardship Council fiber in those catalogs. But under the current terms of their International Paper contract, over 90% of their catalogs are still destroying forests.
'This is the time of year for spring cleaning,' said Liz Butler of ForestEthics. 'For us, that means cleaning up the environmental mess that Victoria's Secret has created. If Victoria's Secret is serious about doing the right thing for the environment, it needs to get out of its contract with International Paper.'
ForestEthics is demanding that the company stop purchasing paper made from Endangered Forests and increase its use of recycled fiber to 50% over the next five years. The campaign against Victoria's Secret includes an outdoor advertising campaign in major U.S. cities, protests and an activism website (www.victoriasdirtysecret.net). In 2005, the campaign ran two full-page advertisements in The New York Times. The campaign was featured in Time Magazine in December and has also been profiled on the Today Show, National Public Radio, and in USA Today.
For more information, photos of demonstrations and the forests being destroyed by Victoria's Secret, and copies of the ad campaign, visit www.VictoriasDirtySecret.net.
ForestEthics, a nonprofit with staff in Canada, the United States and Chile, recognizes that individual people can be mobilized to create positive environmental change—and so can corporations. Armed with this unique philosophy, ForestEthics has protected more than seven million acres of Endangered Forests. For more information, visit www.ForestEthics.org.
