Toronto Star -- Victoria's Secret going green

Written by Peter Gorrie, December 7th, 2006

After two years of sparring with a major conservation group, the company that publishes the Victoria's Secret catalogue vowed yesterday to use more paper that's either recycled or from sustainably managed forests.

The decision could boost Ontario's troubled pulp and paper industry as well as the campaign to protect endangered woodland caribou in the province's northern boreal forest.

Ohio-based Limited Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret and several other store brands, said that by the end of 2007, the more than 350 million catalogues the lingerie retailer sends out each year will contain at least 10 per cent recycled paper, or paper from forest operations certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC.

The council is an international non-profit organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests.

Limited Brands promises to increase the percentage, although without any specific targets.

It also said it would no longer buy paper from West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., which has logging operations in the Rocky Mountain foothills near Hinton, Alta., that are considered environmentally unfriendly and which refused to change. A recently expired contract was worth about $100 million a year.

And Limited Brands won't take paper from forests in areas designated as critical caribou habitat under Canada's endangered species law.

The moves open the door to purchases from Ontario, where two companies — Tembec Inc. and Domtar Inc. — are expanding the amount of forest operated under stewardship council rules, which limit the size of clear cuts, and set standards for reforestation, habitat protection and other environmental concerns.

"Under our new guidelines, we'd be interested in hearing from any folks in Ontario that meet the new criteria," Tom Katzenmeyer, a senior vice-president with the company, said in a conference call.

Supplies of recycled and FSC paper are limited, he said. "I'm optimistic the industry will rise to the occasion and want to compete for our business."

"We'll meet with the Ontario government and suppliers," said Tzeporah Berman of ForestEthics, which operates in Canada and the U.S. and for more than two years ran a publicity campaign that attacked what it called "Victoria's dirty secret."

Limited Brands' move appears to be part of a growing trend aimed at preserving the vast boreal forest that stretches across central Canada.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., which publishes catalogues under its name and under variants of the Pottery Barn brand, said last week that it would immediately begin to use more than 95 per cent FSC certified paper.

Earlier last month, computer giant Dell said it has already hit a 2009 target of 50 per cent recycled content in its marketing publications.

"We believe that working together we can set a new standard for the catalogue industry," Katzenmeyer said.

"I think this is the tip of the iceberg and other companies will follow," Berman said.

As it campaigned against Victoria's Secret, ForestEthics also negotiated with the company. "The discussions ... helped us understand how we can better work with suppliers," Katzenmeyer said.

"We need to look at conservation as part of economic prosperity," Berman said. "The long-term economic health of Ontario is tied to its ecological health."

"Canada has a tremendous opportunity in becoming the solution for
companies that want to seek paper that's environmentally friendly," said Todd Paglia, the group's San Francisco-based executive director.

The stewardship council's is one of three international certification systems. Ontario recognizes them all, but environmentalists say only FSC is effective.

Canada, Russia and Brazil have the only large tracts of undisturbed forest left on Earth. Apart from being crucial habitat for caribou and other animals, the forests help to combat climate change by storing massive amounts of carbon.

Canada's boreal forest is being cut at two hectares per minute, Berman said. About 90 percent of the cutting is in virgin, old growth forest: 88 per cent of the output goes to U.S. buyers.