NEW YORK, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of
Earth Day and beyond, people around
the globe can help "plant a future" and help restore critically
endangered rain forests of South
America and Indonesia
through new fundraising products launched worldwide by Avon
Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP). The new Hello Green Tomorrow products
available in more than 50 countries include a sleek reusable
aluminum water bottle sold by Avon
only in the U.S.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110414/NY68904)
Beginning mid-April, Avon will
sell the fundraising aluminum Hello Green Tomorrow Water
Bottle in the U.S. to raise funds to help limit deforestation
and restore devastated tropical forests. Avon will contribute all proceeds from the
Hello Green Tomorrow Water Bottle to The Nature Conservancy for
continuing efforts in the Atlantic Rainforest in South America and to World Wildlife Fund for
their reforestation projects in Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra).
A comprehensive website hellogreentomorrow.com will also
be refreshed as of mid-April, offering green tips, information, a
blog and opportunities to share ideas on personal environmental
action.
The Hello Green Tomorrow Water Bottle is available through
Avon's woman-to-woman network of
Avon Sales Representatives beginning on April 15 in the U.S. One week later – on
Earth Day, April 22 – the bottle will be available online at
hellogreentomorrow.com and avon.com.
- The eco-friendly, reusable water bottle holds a generous 34
ounces.
- It is affordably priced at $8.00,
with 100 percent of the net proceeds ($4.87) benefiting the Hello Green Tomorrow
Fund.
- The bottle is made from recyclable aluminum imprinted with the
green Hello Green Tomorrow logo and lined with a BPA-free interior
coating to keep beverages tasting fresh.
- It features a screw-top lid with convenient carabinier clip for
portability.
"Avon celebrates its 125th
anniversary this year; and there is no better time for us to look
forward and take action to help 'plant a future' through Hello
Green Tomorrow," stated Avon Chairman and CEO Andrea Jung. "Giving back to society and the
environment is stated in the principles on which Avon was founded in 1886; and today we bring
this to life by empowering a global women's environmental movement
to nurture nature. Avon's strength
is mobilizing people to make a difference, as we have done with
breast cancer and domestic violence, and now on the issue of
deforestation. I am enormously proud of these meaningful efforts
and I believe we can make a significant impact."
In its mission to help end deforestation, Avon is focusing the Hello Green Tomorrow
fundraising program on restoration of vital tropical forests. These
forests serve as the lungs of our planet, helping clean the air of
pollutants and mitigating climate change, while supporting an
extraordinary diversity of plants and animals and providing water
for millions of people. Among the tropical forests worldwide,
South America's Atlantic
Rainforest and the forests of Indonesia (Borneo and Sumatra) are among the most devastated and
critically important to restore.
"Of all the places WWF works, the rate of destruction in
Borneo and Sumatra defies the imagination," said WWF
President and CEO Carter Roberts.
"Devising a solution equal to the weight of humanity's pressure on
this rich place will take persistence, creativity and
collaboration. We are grateful for the support and leadership of
partners like Avon who realize we
all have an important role to play in meeting this challenge."
"With support from Avon, The
Nature Conservancy has made significant progress in restoring
Brazil's Atlantic Forest, one of
the most endangered and biologically diverse forests in the world,"
said Mark Tercek, president and CEO
of The Nature Conservancy. "The Atlantic Forest is home to tens of
thousands of plant and animal species - many found nowhere else on
Earth – and it is the source of drinking water for 70 percent of
Brazil's population. It is
critical that we save the Atlantic Forest for both people and
nature."
The 2011 Hello Green Tomorrow Water Bottle will be
available starting April 15 in the
U.S. Other Hello Green Tomorrow products worldwide will include a
T-shirt created by a leading fashion designer in Brazil, a cosmetic case in Venezuela and various styles of reusable
shopping bags throughout Europe,
Australia, Canada and Latin
America. For more information about Hello Green Tomorrow
visit www.hellogreentomorrow.com.
This year's efforts build on the inaugural Avon Hello Green
Tomorrow program, which was Avon's
first-ever global mobilization for environmental stewardship. The
program launched in March 2010 with a
direct donation of $1 million from
Avon followed by global
fundraising that generated $1.1
million more. The $2.1 million
was awarded in 2010 to The Nature Conservancy to help restore the
Atlantic Rainforest.
New Avon Palm Oil Promise and the Avon Paper Promise
Avon's commitment to helping
end deforestation extends across the company's business enterprise,
with a focus on areas in which the company can have a meaningful
impact. In support of Hello Green Tomorrow 2011, Avon has announced a new Palm Oil
Promise, encompassing guidelines for purchasing
sustainably sourced palm oil. This includes a specific commitment
by Avon to advance the production
of certified sustainable palm oil through the purchase of "book and
claim" certificates estimated to be equivalent to 100 percent of
the palm oil and palm oil derivatives used by Avon.
Avon has also joined the
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (http://rspo.org/) to
help continue the development, implementation and verification of
credible global standards for sustainable palm oil. Additionally,
Avon has committed to purchase at
least 80 percent of palm oil and derivatives from tier one
Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil suppliers by 2015. Palm oil is
an ingredient in many cosmetics and personal care products; and
palm oil plantations have had a great impact on the forests around
the world, especially Indonesia.
Avon supports the moratorium on
any further deforestation in Indonesia for palm oil.
In 2010, concurrent with the initial launch of Hello Green
Tomorrow, Avon announced the
Avon Paper Promise, a comprehensive policy outlining efforts
and goals for promoting sustainable forest use, protecting forests,
and reducing demands on forests. Among Avon's goals is the commitment to purchase 100
percent of its paper from certified and or post-consumer recycled
content sources within ten years, with a certification preference
of Forest Stewardship Council. Currently, 74 percent of
Avon's brochure paper meets the
Avon Paper Promise commitments.
Avon Products, Inc.
Avon, the company for
women, is a leading global beauty company, with over $10 billion in annual revenue. As the world's
largest direct seller, Avon
markets to women in more than 100 countries through approximately
6.5 million active independent Avon Sales Representatives.
Avon's product line includes
beauty, fashion and home products, and features such
well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft,
Advance Techniques, Avon Naturals, and Mark.
Avon is a global leader in the
causes of breast cancer and domestic violence, with more than
$800 million raised and awarded
worldwide through the Avon Foundation for Women and global
philanthropic programs. The company is committed to continual
improvement in environmental stewardship, and was rated #52 on the
latest Newsweek green rankings of the top 500 largest US
companies and #16 among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Learn more
about Avon at
www.avoncompany.com.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) was founded in 1951 and is a
leading conservation organization working around the world to
protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and
people. The organization is headquartered in the US and works in
more than 30 countries. The Nature Conservancy has protected more
than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide,
and they operate over 100 marine conservation projects globally.
Visit www.nature.org to learn more.
World Wildlife Fund
WWF is one of the world's leading conservation organizations,
working in 100 countries for the past 50 years. With the support of
almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering
science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of
life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat
climate change. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn
more.
SOURCE Avon Products, Inc.