Yesterday I told you about a new policy Timberland had released for protecting the Amazon — a welcome policy that nonetheless fell short in one key area: Timberland’s policy did not take a hard line against Bertin, a supplier of leather and one of the nastiest slaughterhouses in Brazil.
Timberland needs to set a deadline for Bertin to support a moratorium on cattle expansion if they want to truly create a policy that doesn’t support Amazon destruction and climate change. If Bertin cannot meet these requirements by that deadline, Timberland should be ready and willing to cancel its contract and find its leather elsewhere.
Please take a few minutes to make a call for a true sustainability policy from Timberland by giving them a ring now. Calling Timberland is easy, just follow these steps:
1. Call Timberland customer service: 1-800-445-5545 (Mon-Thurs 8-5:30 ET, Fri 8-5 EST)
2. Press #5 when the automated message starts.
3. When you get a hold of a customer service rep (or voicemail if it’s after hours), you can use this script as a guide to what to say:
Hi, my name is ___ and I’m calling from _____. I am very happy to hear that you have taken the first steps towards eliminating Amazon destruction from your supply chain but I am concerned that your leather supplier Bertin is still supporting cattle expansion into the Amazon. I am counting on you to put pressure on Bertin to stop the deforestation of the Amazon for cattle. Because the leather you purchase might end up in my shoes, this is really important to me. Timberland, please, put your foot down and cancel contracts with dirty companies. Thanks for taking my call.
4. Leave a comment on this blog and let us know how it went!
When you’ve done that, you can also send an email to Timberland asking them to put their foot down and tell Bertin to stop supporting Amazon deforestation and global warming. The more concerned consumers Timberland hears from, the more they’ll have to realize that contributing to Amazon destruction and global warming is bad business.
