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Staples agrees to environmentally friendly paper practices ECOS
press release LOGAN -- The Ecological Coalition of Students (ECOS) recently announced a resolution of its nationwide campaign against Staples, the office supply chain. The announcement coincides with a national announcement by national campaign leaders and Staples management. "Concerned citizens, students, and others have been demanding that Staples stop fueling the destruction of our forests, and today Staples has finally stepped up to the plate," said Jim Steitz, president of ECOS. In the resolution Staples committed to sell no fiber from trees cut from national forests, other public lands, or old-growth forests. The company also agreed to establish a baseline of 30 percent post-consumer recycled content for all paper sales, to establish an environmental affairs office to track progress toward sustainability targets, and to disclose its progress in meeting those goals through regular public reports. "Make no mistake, this marks the beginning of the end for the commercial destruction of our national forests," said Steitz. "The American people have spoken loud and clear that corporate liquidation of our natural heritage will no longer be tolerated." ECOS has held several demonstrations at the Staples outlet in Logan, and organized consumer pressure through boycotts, store visits, and phone contacts as part of the national campaign. "Selling paper or wood off national forests is now no better than selling products from sweatshops, or from child labor. Reputable businesses that care about their public perception won't touch it anymore," said Steitz. "This sends a clear and powerful message to other corporations, such as Boise Cascade or ExxonMobil, that are engaged in the destruction of our natural heritage for profit," said Katie Trieu, ECOS volunteer from Logan High School. "You are not safe from public scrutiny, and ecological genocide will no longer be tolerated." ECOS and the Sierra Student Coalition are also working to protest the destructive logging practices of Boise Cascade, the target of another nationwide campaign. "This also puts other paper retailers, including OfficeMax and Office Depot, on notice that we expect them to follow the example of Staples," said Trieu. "The announcement is a testament to the power of grassroots student activism," said Cara Forsythe, ECOS volunteer from USU. "Students are taking charge of our own future, rather than leaving it to profit-hungry corporations." The Staples campaign has been led by a coalition of grassroots environmental groups, including ForestEthics, Dogwood Alliance, Student Environmental Action Coalition, National Forest Protection Alliance, Heartwood, Free The Planet!, and the Sierra Student Coalition, of which ECOS is a network member.
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