It will require leather suppliers - such as Brazil's largest leather exporter, Bertin - to commit to a moratorium on newly deforested areas in the Amazon. The policy makes Timberland the industry leader in environmentally and socially responsible Brazilian leather procurement. (1)
Timberland's announcement comes on the heels of the Greenpeace report titled, "Slaughtering the Amazon," which documents a three-year investigation that traced leather, beef and other cattle products from ranches involved in deforestation at the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, as well as the invasion of indigenous lands and slavery, back to the supply chains of top brands. (2)
The cattle industry is responsible for Brazil's top source of carbon dioxide emissions and is the largest driver of deforestation in the world. A moratorium on cattle expansion is therefore a critical component to halt deforestation and reduce massive forest related greenhouse gas emissions.
"Timberland has raised the bar for environmentally and socially responsible leather sourcing policies in the Amazon," said Lindsey Allen, Greenpeace USA Forest Campaigner.
"It has taken an important step by not only committing to avoid leather from cattle raised in newly deforested areas, but by working with existing suppliers like Bertin, to move the Brazilian cattle sector toward supporting a moratorium on any new cattle expansion into the Amazon Rainforest."
Today's announcement comes less than a week after Nike and Geox committed to not sourcing any leather from the Amazon until deforestation for cattle expansion is halted (3). Large supermarket chains operating within Brazil, including Wal-Mart and Carrefour, have also already warned Brazil's beef industry, which destroys more rainforest than any other sector, that they will no longer buy their products unless it can be demonstrated that they do not contribute towards Amazon destruction.
Tropical deforestation accounts for up to a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the world's airplanes, trains and cars. It has led Brazil to become the world's fourth worst climate polluter and means that runaway climate change cannot be averted unless deforestation is stopped.
In December 2009, political negotiations to save the climate will culminate at the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit, where governments must agree to a strong global deal to avert catastrophic climate change, so any deal must effectively tackle deforestation.
Other contacts: Beth Herzfeld, Greenpeace International Press Officer, +44 (0)7717 802 891 Michael Crocker, Greenpeace USA Media Director, +1 202-215-8989Lindsey Allen, Greenpeace USA Forest Campaigner, +1 415 710 5601Judy Rodrigues, Greenpeace International Forest Campaigner, +31 6 46 166 299
Notes: (1) See http://earthkeeper.com/blog/corporate-social-responsibility/issues-in-earthkeeping-part-ii/ Other key areas that demonstrate Timberland’s leadership in these areas of corporate sustainability include: * The company’s willingness to not just fix its own supply chain but work to improve practices in the wider industry; * The company was already working to find areas where it could improve these policies internally; * The company has a long history of first working with suppliers to make lasting positive change and that has been one of the most effective parts of their model.(2) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/slaughtering-the-amazon(3) See http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2009/07/22_AmazonLeatherPolicy.html#http://www.greenpeace.org/italy/news/vittoria-di-greenpeace-nike-e