Paper Sourcing

REI is committed to making responsible paper choices. We realize we can use our position in the industry to increase the awareness and availability of sustainable products. For more than a decade we have used post-consumer recycled waste in our catalog paper.

Significant industry participants, affected communities and environmental groups have played an important part in increasing awareness of forest management practices.

We have followed these developments closely and looked for opportunities for implementation within REI. We are an early adopter of the Paper Working Group's Environmental Performance Assessment Tool (EPAT)™ coordinated by Metafore.

In July 2006, we began reviewing our next generation paper procurement policy with stakeholders. We are very pleased to have the participation of leading advocacy and industry organizations to help us shape a smart and forward-thinking policy.

The final policy will be posted on REI.com at the completion of our stakeholder engagement process.

Recycle

Carried Away
REI customers carried away nearly 350 tons of shopping bags in 2005. In 2006, we increased the post-consumer waste percentage in our bags from 50 percent to 80 percent. The increase is estimated to save 100 tons of virgin wood fiber over the next year.


Catalogs
For more than a decade, REI has specified a minimum of 10 percent post- consumer recycled content in the paper used for our catalogs and flyers. In 2005 that amounted to nearly 360 tons of virgin fiber saved.