Complaints Filed Against Wal-Mart For False Green Jewelry Claims
Introduction:
In this press release, activist environmental NGOs line up in opposition to Wal-Marts “Love Earth” jewelry line. Note that the objection is primarily to the marketing and not the actual mine to market concept. Read the letter posted earlier, which explains in detail the objections over Wal-Mart’s sourcing.
Boulder, CO:
Environmental watchdog group Global Response announced today that it filed complaints with Consumers Union and the Federal Trade Commission, charging that Wal-Mart’s ‘green’ claims for its ‘Love, Earth’ jewelry are false.
“It is unconscionable that instead of addressing the planet’s serious environmental problems, Wal-Mart hoodwinks consumers into thinking they can ‘reduce impact on human health and the environment’ by buying gold jewelry,” says Global Response’s executive director, Paula Palmer.
The mines in Utah and Nevada and the factories in Peru and Bolivia where Wal-Mart claims its gold for ‘Love, Earth’ is “sustainably mined and manufactured”, are not monitored or certified by any credible independent agent.
“Wal-Mart has chosen to publicly endorse mining operations which have significant problems,” says Dan Randolph, executive director of the Nevada-based Great Basin Resource Watch. “These mines emit unacceptable quantities of mercury into the air, threatening the health of fetuses and young children. They deplete water quantity in an arid region, and they will go on contaminating water with toxic metals for centuries to come.”
Denver-based, Newmont Mining Company mines ‘Love, Earth’s’ gold on Western Shoshone lands without the permission of the Western Shoshone. “Wal-Mart claims its jewelry comes from ‘community friendly sources’, says Larson Bill of the Western Shoshone Defense Project. “But they’ve never talked to us, and we’re the community affected by Newmont’s mines. They should meet with us. We need an independent health study here to show how these mines are affecting our people.”
