community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Environmentalists Expose "Victoria's Dirty Secret"
by Michael Croland
Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004 at 1:47 PM
mic@andrew.cmu.edu
Victoria's secret mails out 395 million catalogs each year from virgin fiber paper with little or no recycled content
A dozen environmentalists braved snowfall outside Victoria’s Secret yesterday to protest the company’s logging of endangered forests to mail out 395 million catalogs each year from virgin fiber paper with little or no recycled content.
The activists received the following inquiries from passersby, which warrant careful consideration.
?"Do they make bras out of trees"?
No, but they do advertise them by mailing more than a million catalogs daily. “There’s nothing sexy about cutting down vast swaths of forests to make junk mail,” noted Peter McKosky, one of the protesters. “Five acres of forest are cut every minute in Canada, over half of it to make paper. As a leader of the catalog industry, Victoria’s Secret has the power to change that.” Even worse, most of the paper comes from endangered forests, particularly from the Canadian Boreal and U.S. South.
?"And they destroy them to make underwear"?
No, but hopefully they’ll stop destroying them so much for catalogs. This demonstration was part of a national campaign organized by the San Francisco-based ForestEthics. The campaign demands that Victoria’s Secret maximize post-consumer recycled content in catalogs (achieve 50% post-consumer recycled in five years), stop purchasing paper from endangered forests, and reduce paper use.
?"And their products are crap"!
We respect your opinion but do not have an official position on this matter.
?"It’s like the people who were protesting foie gras the other day"!
This event was organized by Voices for Animals, which also runs the Foie-Gras Free Pittsburgh campaign (for more information, http://www.PghFoieGras.com). Voices for Animals is a grassroots, Pittsburgh-based animal rights group that promotes animal rights and vegetarianism through education, community outreach, and demonstrations.
YOU CAN HELP!
by Michael Croland
Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004 at 1:47 PM
mic@andrew.cmu.edu
victorias_secret_1.jpg, image/jpeg, 2052x872
E-mail the CEO of Victoria’s Secret and learn more about the campaign at http://www.VictoriasDirtySecret.net.
| TITLE | AUTHOR | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria's Others Dirty Secret | David | Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005 at 6:56 PM |
| Irony? | C-Dog | Monday, Jan. 17, 2005 at 5:50 AM |
| A little positive advice | J-Bake | Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005 at 10:02 AM |
| Victoria's Secret and World Color | Kenneth Miller | Monday, Dec. 20, 2004 at 9:26 AM |
![[masthead]](/images/masthead_140.png)