American Indian Heritage Month - Corporate Responsibility

Once again, we are proud to celebrate American Indian Heritage Month throughout the month of November. This year, our theme is Walking Softly on Mother Earth, which incorporates two of our Corporate Responsibility pillars – Sustainable Trade and Community Engagement – into the heritage celebration.

In support of our Corporate Responsibility initiatives, the Multicultural Educational Brochure Committee selected a woman-owned business enterprise to print all stanchion signs and informational booklets associated with American Indian Heritage Month. All handwork involved with the assembly of the products is done by Goodwill Industries, an employer of mentally challenged workers utilizing fair wage and conditions policies.

In addition, these materials are printed on Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper using an FSC printer. By being FSC certified, suppliers assert that they utilize responsible reforestation techniques, environmentally-friendly logging practices, and fair wage policies. These suppliers, which include paper mills, merchants and printers, must go through a rigorous auditing process in order to be able to use the FSC logo on their products. In addition, the plastic brochure holders, which will contain the informational materials for our customers, are made of recycled materials, and the printing is done using soy inks and a water-based plate, making a coating system that eliminates chemicals.

All cartons used to ship this finished product from our suppliers to the stores are made from recycled materials and are recyclable.

Partnering with printers and suppliers who share our commitment to sustainability is just one of the many ways we are minimizing environmental impact through our initiative.