Timberland Pledges to Not Use Brazilian Deforestation Leather

timberland boots photo
Now, guaranteed deforestation-free... photo: Declan Jewell via flickr

A week after Nike agreed to not use leather sourced from the Amazon, Timberland has stepped up and made a similar commitment. Both come in response to the Greenpeace report "Slaughtering the Amazon" which showed how major global shoe brands may be contributing to tropical deforestation through its Brazilian leather purchases. Here's what Timberland has pledged to do:

Timberland to Work Will Suppliers to Ensure Source of Leather
Under the newly announced policy Timberland will require leather suppliers to commit to a moratorium on obtaining leather from newly deforested areas in the Amazon -- that's the word from Greenpeace; at the time of this writing, no mention of the new policy was available on Timberland's website.

Greenpeace was understandably pleased with the move:

Timberland has raised the bar for environmentally and socially responsible leather sourcing policies in the Amazon. They have taken an important step by not only committing to avoid leather from cattle raised in newly deforested areas, but by working with existing suppliers such as Bertin, to move the Brazilian cattle sector towards supporting a moratorium on any new cattle expansion into the Amazon rainforest.

Expansion of cattle ranches is currently responsible for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon; and the cattle industry in general is Brazil's single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

More: Greenpeace

Deforestation
Nike Says No To Deforestation Leather - Not That They Ever Used It
Global Shoe Brands May Be Unwittingly Causing Deforestation in the Amazon: New Greenpeace Report Says
New Cattle Pastures Far Bigger Problem Than Soy for Deforested Amazon