forests

WASHINGTON & BENTONVILLE, Ark.–(EMWNews)–Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. joined the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN),

World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) initiative to save

the world’s most valuable and threatened

forests, WWF announced today. By joining the GFTN, Wal-Mart has

committed to phasing out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its

supply chain and increasing its proportion of wood products originating

from credibly certified sources – for Wal-Mart

stores and Sam’s Clubs in the United States.

“With nearly half of the world’s

forests already gone, action is urgently needed,”

said Suzanne Apple, WWF’s VP for Business &

Industry. “Wal-Mart’s

commitment to support responsible forestry answers that call to action.

WWF welcomes the company to a global community committed to healthy

business and healthy forests.”

The United States is the largest consumer of industrial timber, pulp and

paper in the world. The U.S. is also among the top destinations for

imports of wood from areas where illegal logging and trade are common,

such as Indonesia, China and Brazil. Thus, the U.S. market is critical

to protecting forests worldwide.

Wal-Mart’s commitment includes the

importation and sale of all wood-based products with an initial focus on

wood-based furniture. Wal-Mart sources furniture from the Amazon,

Russian Far East, northern China, Indonesia, and the Mekong region of

southeast Asia. These areas include some of the most biologically

diverse places on earth, places that WWF is working to protect.

Within one year, Wal-Mart will complete an assessment of where its wood

furniture is coming from and whether the wood is legal and well-managed.

Once the assessment is completed, Wal-Mart has committed to eliminating

wood from illegal and unknown sources within five years. The company

will also eliminate wood from forests that are of critical importance

due to their environmental, socio-economic, biodiversity or landscape

values and that aren’t well-managed.

“One of our goals at Wal-Mart is to sell

products that sustain and protect our resources. By joining the GFTN we

can further this goal by providing our customers with a reliable supply

of wood products that come from responsibly managed forests,”

said Matt Kistler, Wal-Mart’s Senior Vice

President of Sustainability. “This is just

one way Wal-Mart is helping our customers save money and live better.”

WWF works with private companies like Wal-Mart and public agencies like

the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote

responsible forest management that gives weight to social values,

environmental conservation and economic benefits. The World Bank

estimates that illegal logging costs developing country governments more

than $5 billion per year in lost taxes and other revenues.

USAID has invested almost $6.5 million since 2003 in WWF’s

Global Forest & Trade Network. WWF has leveraged USAID’s

investment to secure an additional $33.8 million investment to expand

GFTN operations into emerging economies. Many of those emerging

economies are now part of Wal-Mart’s global

supply chain.

“Today’s

development assistance is about mobilizing the ideas, efforts and

resources of governments, businesses and civil society by forging

public-private alliances that stimulate economic growth, develop

businesses opportunities and address environmental issues,”

said Jacqueline E. Schafer, Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth,

Agriculture and Trade at USAID. “Corporate

engagement in WWF’s Global Forest & Trade

Network has enormous potential to curb the environmental destruction

associated with illegal logging in producer countries, while

contributing to the economic growth of both producer and consumer

countries alike.”

Wal-Mart’s commitment to promoting

responsible forestry builds on the company’s

collaboration with WWF. Earlier this year, Wal-Mart committed to

purchasing 100 percent of its wild caught salmon seafood sold in the

U.S. from sources certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

within four years.

About World Wildlife Fund

For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature.

The largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF

works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the

United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s unique way of

working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves

action at every level, from local to global, and ensures the delivery of

innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. Go

to worldwildlife.org to learn more.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters,

Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club locations

in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada,

China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico,

Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. Wal-Mart serves more than

176 million customers weekly in 14 markets. The Company’s

securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol

WMT. For more information: www.walmartfacts.com.

Note to editors:

The Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) is a WWF initiative to combat

illegal and unsustainable logging. The Network promotes responsible

management of valuable and threatened forests in the Amazon,

Amur-Heilong (Russia), Borneo, Sumatra, Congo, Mekong (Southeast Asia)

and other areas where forests are threatened.

GFTN assists companies in evaluating their procurement and implementing

appropriate action plans to ensure sustainable supply. By facilitating

trade links between companies committed to responsible forestry, the

GFTN creates market conditions that help conserve forests while

providing economic and social benefits for the businesses and people

that depend on them. More than 370 companies are members of the Global

Forest & Trade Network, including manufacturers, importers,

distributors, retailers, forest owners and managers. Read more about our

work on sustainable forestry at: www.worldwildlife.org/naftn

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