Holiday Catalogs and Endangered Forests

Photo: José Luis Gutiérrez / Istock

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A forest preservation group working in the world's largest intact forest ecosystem, the boreal, is singling out Sears for its use of paper made from "endangered" forests that aren't being logged in a sustainable way that allows for regeneration.

While some companies, like Victoria's Secret and Dell, have switched to paper derived from recycled sources or forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, Sears ships 425 million catalogs a year in North America, according ForestEthics. The catalogs are not made from recycled paper.

The boreal forest stretches across Canada and Russia, and provides important habitat for migratory birds familiar throughout the United States, in addition to a big global carbon sink that prevents greenhouse gases from building up in the atmosphere.

Chicago-based Sears Holding Company also owns Lands' End and K-Mart. It sends more catalogs than any other retailer on the continent, according to the Toronto Star.

Sears told the Toronto Star that it considers sustainable forestry in its decisions.

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