Thank you and congratulations! Because of your tireless work and support, Victoria's Secret has agreed to change its paper purchasing practices in support of conservation in the Boreal Forest.

Catalog Giant Agrees to Support Sustainable Paper Purchasing

On December 6th, Limited Brands, parent company of Victoria's Secret, announced that they will support the protection of endangered forests by:

• not using paper from endangered forests or caribou habitat in the Boreal,
• increasing post-consumer recycled paper in all catalogs, starting with 10%,
• moving toward Forest Stewardship Council certified fiber for non-recycled content, and
• supporting the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework.

Much of the paper in the one million catalogs that Victoria's Secret sends per day is sourced from the Boreal Forest of Canada, one of the world's three largest intact forests. Two acres of the Boreal Forest is being logged per minute, mostly through clear-cutting. A staggering 80% of all Canadian wood and paper exports are purchased by the United States. Most of these trees end up in disposable products such as catalogs, toilet paper, tissue paper, and paper towels.

As the latest in a string of high-profile companies, including Williams-Sonoma and Dell, to reject environmentally destructive timber practices, and as a major player in the catalog industry, Victoria's Secret has the power to turn the tide of the entire industry toward sustainable paper purchasing.

We are encouraged by this positive change in policy, and Victoria Secret's commitment to conservation. We look forward to following the company's progress throughout the implementation of this policy change.

Learn about the history of the Victoria’s Secret campaign >

Tell Victoria's Secret Thank You for Acting Responsibly

Please let Victoria's Secret know that you support their decision to protect the Boreal Forest. Take a moment to send a letter of thanks to the CEO of Limited Brands >

Keep the Momentum Going!

The choice made by Victoria's Secret represents a growing trend toward conservation among corporate giants. In 2006 alone, over 70 companies, with annual sales totaling over $30 billion (USD), have committed to support the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework. The Framework is a groundbreaking vision that promotes equal treatment of conservation and development across Canada's Boreal region. The Framework calls for:

• protecting at least 50% of the region in a network of large interconnected protected areas, and
• supporting sustainable communities, world-leading ecosystem-based resource management practices, and state-of-the-art stewardship practices in the remaining landscape.

Click to learn more about the Framework and the companies that support it >

About North America's Boreal Forest

One of the last great forest ecosystems left on the planet, the Boreal Forest is a major source of North America's fresh water and teems with wildlife including wolves, grizzly bears, and woodland caribou. The Boreal Forest is also the nesting grounds for billions of America's songbirds and waterfowl. The forest's capacity to store carbon ranks it as one the planet's top lines of defense against global warming.

Click to learn more about North America's Boreal Forest >

Source: ForestEthics