BJ’s Wholesale Club Says ‘No’ to Dirty Gold
BJ’s becomes nation’s first independent wholesale club to sign No Dirty Gold campaign’s Golden Rules, pledge protection of Bristol Bay watershed
Earthworks and BJ's Wholesale Club
July 2, 2014
July 2nd – Today, BJ’s Wholesale Club, with 202 locations in 15 Eastern U.S. states, became America’s first independent wholesale club company to commit to responsible metals sourcing by endorsing the No Dirty Gold campaign’s Golden Rules, a set of social, human rights, and environmental criteria set to improve metal mining practices around the world. BJ’s is also pledging to source their metals without harming Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed – the world’s largest wild salmon fishery.
“BJ’s Wholesale Club is proud to support the No Dirty Gold campaign and pledge protection to Bristol Bay by sourcing metals through socially and environmentally responsible methods for our jewelry and electronics offerings,” said Scott Williams, Assistant Vice President of Quality Assurance and Environmental Stewardship for BJ’s Wholesale Club. “BJ’s recognizes the roles that our partnership has with our environment, our buyers, our suppliers and our Members. We will continue to find newer ways to provide high-quality products at an excellent value to our Members that reduces our impact on the environment.”
The Golden Rules have now been signed by eight of the top 10 U.S. jewelry retailers, with combined annual sales of more than $9 billion, about 13% of the U.S. jewelry market. This list includes Tiffany & Co., Target Corp., and Helzberg Diamonds, among others.
“We applaud BJ’s commitment to responsible metals sourcing,” says Payal Sampat of Earthworks, who directs the No Dirty Gold campaign. “We hope that other jewelry retailers like Costco and Macy’s will follow their example.”
Additionally, BJ’s pledge to protect Bristol Bay aligns with its strategy to promote the long-term sustainability of seafood supplies. The Pebble Mine is proposed in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, home to the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that if built, the mine would damage the $480 million fishery, which provides 50% of the world’s wild sockeye salmon, and the 14,000 jobs that rely on it.
“Our people depend on salmon as our primary source of food,” said Bobby Andrew, spokesman for Nunamta Aulukestai, an association of Bristol Bay native corporations and tribes. He continued, “That’s why we oppose the Pebble mine that threatens it. It’s why we appreciate companies like BJ’s that support lasting protection for the world’s largest wild salmon fishery.”
For more information:
- The production of one gold ring generates at least of 20 tons of mine waste: http://bit.ly/NDG-20tons
- Gold mining is regularly linked to human rights violations, forest destruction, toxic pollution, and loss of lands and livelihoods: http://nodirtygold.org
- Retailers and No Dirty Gold: http://bit.ly/NDG-Retailers
- Our Bristol Bay: http://ourbristolbay.com
Media contacts:
- Alan Septoff, Communications Director, Earthworks, T: 202-887-1872x105 / aseptoff@earthworksaction.org
- Maria Fruci, Manager of External Communications, BJ's Wholesale Club, T: 774-512-5961 / mfruci@bjs.com
BJ’s Wholesale Club is dedicated to providing Members with high-quality, brand-name food and merchandise at prices that are significantly lower than supermarkets, supercenters, department stores, drug stores and specialty retail stores. BJ's carries the most product variety of any wholesale club with more than 7,000 items, including supermarket-sized staples, USDA Choice meats, all-natural and certified organic products and stock-up items. BJ's is the only wholesale club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and for greater convenience, offers the most payment options including EBT.
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company operates 202 clubs and 114 gas stations in 15 eastern states. Learn more and shop online at http://BJs.com, or for exclusive content visit Facebook.com/bjswholesaleclub and Twitter.com/bjswholesale.
Nunamta Aulukestai, Caretakers of Our Land, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that includes ten tribal corporations (land owning entities) and ten tribal governments (non land owning, but have government to government relationships for the purpose of communicating native priorities to the US government), all opposed to the development of the Pebble Project.
Earthworks and the No Dirty Gold campaign are dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions. Online at http://earthworksaction.org, http://twitter.com/earthworks and http://facebook.com/earthworksaction
Tagged with: our bristol bay, no dirty gold, mining, golden rules, bristol bay pledge
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