Natural Strategies is proud to announce a major achievement of one of our clients. Lowe's Companies, the world's second largest home improvement retailer, has adopted a comprehensive wood products procurement policy designed to protect the world's forests. Natural Strategies provided strategic and technical advice on the many complex issues associated with this far reaching policy. We also have an ongoing role in facilitating dialogue between the environmental and scientific communities, Lowe's vendors and other stakeholders. In addition, we will continue to support Lowe's in the tracking and verification process as they implement their policy.

Below is a "virtual press kit" about Lowe's policy for those wanting more information.

Table of Contents:

• Lowe's press release

• Rainforest Action Network press release and endorsement

• World Resource Institute's press release and endorsement

• Certified Forest Products Council (CFPC) press release and endorsement

• Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) press release and endorsement

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) press release and endorsement

• Letter of Congratulations from Five Environmental Groups

• A list of environmental representatives who are able to comment on the policy

Lowe's

In Collaboration with Environmentalists, Lowe's Unveils Policy To Protect World's Forests

-- Collaboration with Environmentalists and Wood Suppliers
Sets Company as Global Leader in Responsible Wood Sourcing 

-- Company Creates Healthy Forests Advisory Board

WILKESBORO, N.C. -- Lowe's Companies, Inc., the world's second largest home improvement retailer, today released the details of its landmark lumber and wood product procurement policy aimed at helping protect the world's threatened forests. The company has committed to overhaul the sourcing of lumber and wood in the products it sells while   proactively engaging its wood suppliers and governments to take immediate steps towards the permanent protection of critical forest areas.

"Our new environmental policy represents a major victory for the forests and our customers," said Bob Tillman, Lowe's chairman and CEO. "Our customers expect Lowe's to deliver the best quality lumber and wood products that have been responsibly harvested and produced by our suppliers."

"In developing our policy, Lowe's pursued what some in the industry may consider an unconventional approach," added Mark Kauffman, Lowe's senior vice president of Merchandising. "We worked closely with the environmental and scientific communities as well as our suppliers and facilitated a number of first-ever meetings between these groups."

Today' s announcement is the culmination of a multi-stepped corporate initiative to bring together environmental advocacy organizations, including Rainforest Action Network and the World Resources Institute (WRI), wood suppliers, governments and industry organizations. Lowe's has taken an active role in encouraging industry and government negotiations with groups working to protect endangered forests in areas including the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and the Southeastern U.S.

"The end result was a more balanced policy and what we hope will be a major turning point for environmental discussions in the U.S.," added Kauffman.

Under the Environmental Policy, Lowes will:

• Aggressively phase out the purchase of wood products from endangered forests as these areas are identified and mapped. This includes an immediate ban on wood coming from the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia;

• Work with suppliers to encourage the maintenance of natural forests and environmentally responsible forest practices;

• Give preference to the procurement of wood products from independently certified well-managed forests. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is currently the company's preferred certification system, and FSC certification will be given preference over other certification systems;

• Work with our customers to increase the efficiency of wood use, including the promotion of wood reuse, recycling and advanced framing techniques;

• Work with our suppliers to increase the procurement of quality recycled, engineered and alternative products (when their environmental benefits are clearly demonstrated), including alternative fiber and tree-free paper products for printing and packaging.

Lowe's has already taken a number of important steps to become the industry leader in implementing responsible wood purchasing. The company recently eliminated ramin dowels sourced from Indonesia and converted to a domestic poplar species.

Lowe's also announced the formation of a 'Healthy Forests Advisory Board,' which will help guide the company through its policy implementation process and provide counsel on general forestry issues. The Advisory Board will include environmental groups, environmental scientists, suppliers, certifiers and buyer groups. The Board's first actions will be to address a number of on-going environmental issues, such as the conversion of Southern forests to pine plantations, commercial logging in U.S. National Forests and illegal logging concerns in certain foreign countries.

With 1999 sales of $15.9 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is the world's second largest home improvement retailer. Headquartered in Wilkesboro, N.C., Lowe's is the 15th largest retailer in the U.S. as well as the 34th largest retailer worldwide. Lowe's and its 100,000 employees are Improving Home Improvement for nearly five million do-it-yourself retail and commercial business customers each week at more than 600 stores in 39 states. For more information, visit Lowe's: Home Improvement, Appliances, and Tools.

Contacts:
Lowe's Companies, Inc.: Brian Peace 336-658-4170, Chris Ahearn 336-658-7387
Natural Strategies: Susan Burns 510-839-8879

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Rainforest Action Network

Lowe's Do-It-Yourself Industry Leader Discloses Sweeping Changes In Wood- Buying Program

-- Lowe's 'Unconventional Approach' May Help Secure Protection For World's Remaining Endangered Forests

North Wilkesboro, NC-- In a move with far-reaching implications for the forest product industry, Lowe's Companies, Inc., today revealed its new wood product procurement policy that will dramatically alter the way the company does business. The policy by the world's second largest home improvement retailer includes detailed provisions for protection of endangered forests, such as an immediate ban on wood from the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. The initiative also addresses critical domestic forest issues such as logging of NationalForests and conversion of native forests to plantations, among other issues.

"Lowe's has set the global standard for responsible wood buying," stated Michael Brune, Old Growth Campaign Director for Rainforest Action Network (RAN). "The  end of old growth logging may soon be within our grasp, thanks in part to leadership from Lowe's."

Lowe's five point policy includes an aggressive phase out of wood from endangered forests, a strong purchasing preference for wood that is independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as coming from well-managed forests, and commitment to engage with suppliers to improve logging practices and to maintain native forests. Many of these initiatives are currently underway. For example, Lowe's has already eliminated ramin dowels derived from endangered tropical forests in Indonesia.

"We applaud Lowe's for showing uncommon courage and decisiveness in using its purchasing power to leverage change within the logging industry," added RAN's Brune. "Industry stalwarts such as Boise Cascade that don't meet the challenges set by Lowe's, will be branded as corporate dinosaurs, unable to adapt in the new marketplace."

Today's announcement comes after months of communication with forest advocacy organizations, including Rainforest Action Network and the World Resources Institute. In recent months Lowe's has shown unique persistence in encouraging industry and government representatives to work with scientists and environmentalists to create solutions to the problems posed by unsustainable logging. 

It is estimated that nearly three quarters of the world's old growth forests have been logged or degraded, much within the past three decades. Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has worked with several dozen major corporations to help them redirect wood purchases towards sustainable sources. World Resources Institute (WRI) operates Global Forest Watch, a non-profit agency working to map the world's remaining intact and threatened forests. Lowe's has worked with the Dogwood Alliance to further examine unsustainable logging practices in the Southeastern U.S., with Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) on ramin dowel sourcing, and with Natural Resources Defense Council on forest certification issues.

Contacts:
Michael Brune, Shannon Wright
415/398-4404; 415-596-RAIN (mobile)

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World Resource Institute

WRI Applauds Forest Protection Moves by Lowe's

Washington DC, Aug. 8, 2000 -- The World Resources Institute (WRI) today praised Lowe s Companies, Inc., the world s second-largest home improvement retailer, for adopting an ambitious wood products procurement policy for its stores. 

"Lowe's commitment to green wood purchasing heralds a new chapter in corporate leadership to protect forests," said Dr. Anthony Janetos, WRI senior vice president. "We welcome their plan to help to improve forest management practices worldwide."

The North Carolina-based company, with revenues of about $16 billion last year, adopted today a policy that will ensure that all wood products sold in Lowe's stores will come from well-managed, non-endangered forests. In an unusual move, the policy was prepared in close consultation with many environmental groups and scientists ranging from activists at the Rainforest Action Network to WRI's technical experts.

Lowe's five-point policy includes an "aggressive phase out of wood products from  endangered forests" and an "immediate ban on wood from the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia." The Great Bear Rainforest is the largest remaining intact stand of centuries-old temperate rainforest in North America.

The new policy also includes a commitment to work closely with such organizations as WRI, the Forest Stewardship Council, and the Certified Forest Products Council.

"After several months of collaboration with Lowe's, I am confident that they are committed to change the way they do business," said Dr. Nigel Sizer, WRI's director of forest policy. "Given their power in the marketplace, WRI is looking forward to working with Lowe's to help them implement their new policy." 

On-going mapping and monitoring work by Global Forest Watch will provide Lowe's with detailed maps showing the location of endangered forests throughout the world. Global Forest Watch, an initiative of WRI, is creating the first worldwide monitoring network that tracks threats to forests using satellite imagery and computers to gather the data and to map it out.

Lowe's and other companies will be able to use Global Forest Watch's continually updated maps, available through http://www.globalforestwatch.org to instruct their suppliers on which areas of forest should be off-limits for wood production. 

"The wide membership in Global Forest Watch and its science-based approach to mapping forests will help give credibility to the policy that Lowe's has adopted today," said Dirk Bryant, Director of Global Forest Watch. Currently, the network includes 75 organizations and operates in 8 countries.

Lowe's has also committed to give preference to wood products that are certified as being from well-managed forests by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organization that sets standards for forest management. Lowe's is also joining the Certified Forest Products Council, a North American business association based in Oregon that helps its members to increase use of wood from independently certified, well-managed forests.

WRI has also been working with other companies that have made important commitments to help protect forests. These companies include IKEA and The Home Depot. "We are witnessing a major change in corporate philosophy," said Dr. Sizer. "It is conceivable that up to 50 percent of the U.S. retail market could be covered by similar policies in the next couple of years. Lowe s and the other early adopters deserve much credit for leading this change."

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a Washington, DC-based center for policy research that provides objective information and practical proposals for change to foster environmentally sound and sustainable development. WRI works with institutions in more than 50 countries to bring the insights of scientific research, economic analyses and practical experience to political, business and non-governmental organizations around the world. For more information, visit WRI's website at: http://www.wri.org/media. 

Contacts: 
Adlai Amor, Media Director
Tel: 202-729-7736 Email: aamor@wri.org 
Nigel Sizer, Director of Forest Policy
Tel: 202-729-7626 Email: nigels@wri.org 
Or visit http://www.wri.org/wri/media

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Certified Forest Products Council (CFPC)

Certified Forest Products Council Exec Responds to Lowe's Forest Products Policy

Beaverton, OR -- Certified Forest Products Council (CFPC) president and CEO David A. Ford, today issued the following response to the announcement by Lowe's Home Centers, Inc. that the nation's second-largest home improvement retailer will preference wood from certified well-managed forests, and recognizes the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as today's highest standards for responsible forest management:

"This is a great day for our forests, and for our future. The Certified Forest Products Council commends the management of Lowe's for taking this bold step in support of responsible forestry and the conservation, protection, and restoration of our forest. This announcement sends an unequivocal signal to forest landowners everywhere that the demand for FSC-certified forest products is real and is not to 
be ignored."

"We welcome Lowe's as the newest member of our Council. They join a growing list of business spanning the value chain from the forest floor to the retail floor who are using their purchasing power to improve forest management the world over."

"We fully anticipate other home improvement retailers and their vendors will follow suit, and we look forward to the day in the very near future when a preference for Forest Stewardship Council certified wood is the standard for home improvement centers throughout North America and abroad."

Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, the Certified Forest Product Council is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] business organization that advocates responsible forest products purchasing by North American business, industry, and institutions as a tool to promote the conservation, protection, and restoration of the world's forests. CFPC advocates the adoption of independent third-party forest certification as a means of ensuring that forest processes support sustainability, and brings businesses together with environmental interests to build collaborative purchase-power-based solutions to drive change in the management of the world's forests. CFPC member companies reflect the breadth of the forest products value chain and include The Home Depot, Columbia Forest Products, Andersen Corporation, and Nike, Inc., among others.

Contacts:
David A. Ford: 503-590-6600
Peter Nowack: 510-562-2033
http://www.certifiedwood.org

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Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)

EIA Commends Lowe's On Eliminating Illegally Sourced Ramin Wood Dowels From Their Retail Stores

--Illicit Ramin Wood From Indonesia's National Park

Washington DC -- The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) acclaims Lowe's  Companies Inc., the world's second largest home improvement retailer, for including the elimination of ramin wood dowels in their new timber procurement policy. Lowe's today unveiled a groundbreaking wood policy aimed at protecting the world's threatened forests by ending the sale of wood from such forests. One of the first woods to go is ramin wood from Indonesia. EIA and its Indonesian partner, Telapak have found that virtually all ramin wood from Indonesia and Malaysia is illegally harvested.

"Our research has revealed that the vast majority of ramin wood is illegally felled from national parks in Indonesia, in particular Tanjung Puting National Park, one of the last refuges for the endangered orangutan," said Dave Currey, EIA Director. "By dropping ramin dowels from its stores, Lowe's has taken the right action in trying to stop this illicit wood trade; all importers and retailers of ramin should follow suit." 

An EIA/Telapak investigation team has uncovered rampant illegal logging, primarily of ramin, in Tanjung Puting Park. The team has followed the wood from the park to the mills and unraveled a chain of custody that provides falsified legal paper work to illegally harvested wood. The laundering of the wood even reaches Malaysia where much of the Indonesian logs are illegally transported and then processed into finished export goods.

Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan on the island of Borneo is the largest protected area of swamp forest in South-East Asia. Tanjung Puting provides the only protected area of orangutan habitat in Central Kalimantan, home to more than 500 orangutans. The park is one of only three protected areas where orangutans exist in sufficient numbers to have a chance of long term viability. Illegal logging is the single largest threat to the orangutan population in this park.

EIA/Telapak has identified the main culprit of the illicit trade to be local timber tycoon, Abdul Rasyid. The majority of the wood illegally harvested by Rasyid's company, Tanjung Lingga, is ramin. Despite EIA/Telapak's incriminating investigations of Rasyid wood operation, the tycoon's widespread political power has kept him and his illegal operations from arrest or closure. 

The illegal trade in ramin is one example of uncontrolled illegal logging throughout all of Indonesia. EIA/Telapak estimates that at least 70% of timber supplies to Indonesia's wood processing sector are of illegal origin. EIA and Telapak are currently working with the Indonesia government and international donors to stop the logging in Tanjung Puting National Park. To ease the pressure on the park, EIA has called for Indonesia and all import countries and companies to stop the ramin trade.

Ramin is imported to the US as dowels for joinery, broom and mop handles, window blinds and furniture molding. Lowe's has replaced their ramin wood dowels with a domestic poplar species.

The latest information on the illegal logging crisis in Tanjung Puting, available at 
http://eia-international.org/Campaigns/Forests/Reports/tanjung/index.html

Contacts: 
Pamela Wellner: +415 695-1956
UK - Dave Currey: +44 1380 840889
Indonesia - Hapsoro: +62-816-998188

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Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council Applauds Lowe's Home Centers Wood Buying Policy

Washington, DC -- Hank Cauley, Executive Director of the Forest Stewardship Council U.S., issued the following statement after the announcement by Lowe's Home Centers, Inc. that the nation's second-largest home improvement retailer will preference wood from certified well-managed forests and recognizes the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as today's highest standards for responsible forest management:

"We applaud Lowe's decision to use its purchasing policy to help conserve the world's forests. By setting a preference for FSC-certified forest products, Lowe's is sending an important message to forest managers that environmental and social responsibility is a priority. And they are providing a solid guarantee to their customers that the wood that they are buying comes from forests that are well-managed. We thank Lowe's for their leadership in this endeavor and welcome them into the growing family of companies who are doing their part to protect our precious forests."

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international, independent, non-profit organization that promotes responsible forestry. Based in Washington, D.C., the Forest Stewardship Council-U.S. promotes the FSC's market-based program of well-managed forestry in the U.S. 

The FSC, through its Principles and Criteria for Forest Management, has established the highest standards for environmentally, economically and socially responsible forestry. FSC forest management standards aim to promote sound, financially viable, and competitive forestry companies while considering key environmental issues such as minimizing clear-cuts, striving to avoid pesticide use, and protecting forests with high conservation value (ones that contain certain rare and endangered species). FSC's unique membership includes a balance of interests---economic, environmental and social--that have impact on and influence over forestry, and these three 'chambers' jointly govern the organization. 

The international headquarters of the Forest Stewardship Council is based in Oaxaca, Mexico. The U.S. organization is part of the worldwide Forest Stewardship Council--Global Leaders in Responsible Forestry.

Contacts: 
David Arens 202-342-0414
Hank Cauley 202-342-0416
Forest Stewardship Council-U.S.
1134 29th Street
Washington, D.C. 20007
(202) 342-0413
(202) 342-6589 (fax)
http://www.fscus.org

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Letter of Congratulations from Five Environmental Groups

August 7, 2000

Bob Tillman
Chairman and CEO
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
1605 Curtis Bridge Road
North Wilkesboro
North Carolina
28656-0001

Dear Mr. Tillman:

Our organizations commend and congratulate Lowe's for its pledge to implement a "forest friendly" wood procurement policy to help conserve and protect the Earth's forests for generations to come. Forests are critical for maintaining wildlife and fish habitat, clean water and air, recreation, global climate, and economic resources, such as timber supplies. We, therefore, support Lowe's commitment to eliminate wood products originating from endangered forest ecosystems, implement a purchasing preference for environmentally sound forest products that are certified according to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and promote wood-use efficiency and recycling, among other strategies. Lowe's is setting a very important example of how responsible corporate citizens can foster environmental stewardship in the new millennium. We encourage other  businesses to join Lowe's in recognizing that their purchasing decisions play an important role in conserving the Earth's forests, which are necessary to sustain life.

We look forward to working with Lowe's as you implement your policy.

Sincerely, 

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Environmental Organizations for Media Questions

World Resources Institute 
Topic: Endangered Forests
Nigel Sizer
10 G. Street
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202 729 7626
Mobil: 917-497-0558 Cell
Fax: 1+202/729-7610
Email: nigels@wri.org
Website: http://www.wri.org

Rainforest Action Network
Topic: Endangered Forests
Michael Brune
221 Pine Street
Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 398-4404
Fax: (415)398-4404
Email: mbrune@ran.org
Website: http://www.ran.org

Natural Resources Defense Council
Topic: FSC
Kate Heaton
71 Stevenson St.
Suite 1825
San Francisco 94105
Phone: (415) 777-0220
Fax: (415) 495-5996
Email: kheaton@nrdc.org
Website: http://www.nrdc.org

Natural Strategies, Inc.
Topic: Collaboration between Environmental Groups and Vendors
Susan Burns
Principal
1050 Warfield Ave
Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: 510-839-8879
Fax: 510-834-9202
Email: burns@naturalstrategies.com
Website: http://www.naturalstrategies.com

Certified Forest Products Council
Topic: Forest Stewardship Council
David Ford
14780 SW Osprey Drive
Suite 285
Beaverton, OR 97007
Phone: 503-590-6600
Fax: 503-590-6655
Email: dford@certifiedwood.org
Website: http://certifiedwood.org

Forest Stewardship Council
Topic: FSC
Hank Cauley
Executive Director
1134 29th Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: 202 ± 342-0416
Fax: 202-342-6589
Email: hcauley@foreststewardship.org
Website: http://www.fscus.org

World Wildlife Fund
Topic: FSC
Bruce Caboli
Address: 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, N.W.
P.O. Box 97180
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: (202) 822-3450
Fax: 202-861-8378
Email:
Website: http://www.worldwildlife.org (link not working)

Dogwood Alliance
Topic: Southern Forests
Dana Smith
Address:
Phone: 828-698-1998
Fax: 
Email: dogwood@essential.org
Website:

Coastal Rainforest Coalition 
Topic: Great Bear Rainforest
Tzeporah Berman
Address: 2180 Dwight Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: 604-603-5110
Fax: (510) 540-8756
Email: crc@coastalrainforest.org
Website: http://www.coastalrainforest.org

Greenpeace
Topic: Great Bear Rainforest
Tamara Stark
1726 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5N 4A3
Phone: (604)253-7701
Fax: (604)253-0114
Email: tamara.stark@yvr.greenpeace.org
Mobil: (604) 761-2235X

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