On November 8th, Victoria’s Secret cancelled the premiere of their ‘Angels Across America’ Tour leaving "fans" who lined up for hours out in the cold in an attempt to keep media from seeing Wetlands’ environmental protest in front of the store. The company had pitched the campaign on national television earlier in the day and hyped the event for months, but apparently decided to sacrifice the event to avoid having their status as eco-abusers revealed.
The national environmental campaign against Victoria’s Secret was launched by Wetlands ally ForestEthics because of the company’s leading role in destroying Endangered Forests, particularly the Boreal forest of Canada (pictured right) . Victoria’s Secret mails more than a million catalogs a day, using less than 10% recycled paper. The campaign, which began in September, includes an outdoor advertising campaign in major cities across the country, protests, and a website http://www.victoriasdirtysecret.net where people can get involved and challenge the retailer to use recycled paper, to stop using paper from the world’s last remaining Endangered Forests and to reduce its overall paper usage. Victoria’s Secret prints 395 million catalogs each year.
Two years of investigative research has revealed a direct link between Victoria’s Secret catalogs and the destruction of old growth and endangered forests in the Canadian Boreal, the third largest forest wilderness in the world. Companies like Weldwood and International Paper, which supply the company with its paper, are directly responsible for this destruction. Victoria’s Secret’s paper use is also destroying the Endangered Forests of the Southern U.S., which supply 15% of the world’s paper.
“Victoria's Secret is no angel when it comes to the environment - the company mails more than one million catalogs daily,” said Joshua Martin of ForestEthics. “People are outraged by Victoria's Secret's exploitation of the environment."
Last March, six of the largest catalogers were put on notice for their consumption of endangered forests. Since then, ForestEthics has been in detailed discussions with all of these companies and others who are competing to address these environmental issues.
ForestEthics protects endangered forests by transforming the paper and wood industries in North America and by supporting forest communities in the development of conservation-based economies
For more information, photos of current environmental destruction and copies of the ad campaign, visit http://www.VictoriasDirtySecret.net
Victoria's OTHER Injustices
Globalization and Labor Exploitation
Complicity with the Occupation of Palestine
Manipulating Women's Body Images