John,

The North American boreal forest is the largest intact forest in the world and home to caribou, lynx, peregrine falcons, bison, moose, grizzly bears and countless other wildlife species.1

But today, the boreal forest is literally being flushed down the toilet.

Unsustainable logging is toppling boreal trees just to make slightly softer toilet paper.2

We're calling on Costco to help save the boreal forest by pledging to sell tissue paper only made from sustainable sources.

To defend our forests, we're aiming to raise $75,000 by midnight on Earth Day. Will you make a special Earth Day donation to help save the boreal from being flushed down the toilet?

Much of the planet's forests have been destroyed by logging and development. But the boreal forest still stands vast and verdant, stretching across the northern reaches of North America from the Atlantic coast to Alaska.

The boreal's deep green pine trees, spruce and firs are dusted with snow in the winter and sparkle with dew in the summer. The tamarack trees sprinkled among the towering evergreens turn goldenrod yellow in the fall. In the treetops above, nearly half of all North American bird species rely on this forest during migration.3

These forests shouldn't be chopped down and turned into toilet paper, especially when there are perfectly suitable alternatives already adopted by other companies, such as recycled paper, bamboo and even wheat straw.4

That's why we're calling on Costco -- the world's third-largest retailer -- to pledge not to sell toilet paper made from boreal trees for its Kirkland Signature tissue products.5

To help save the boreal, we've set a goal of raising $75,000 by midnight on Earth Day. Will you make a donation right now?

By the end of 2025, Costco has said it will assess its Kirkland Signature brand for its impact on deforestation. This is a good sign that Costco is starting to consider how it can help protect our forests, but ultimately, we need the company to take concrete action.6

Costco has a unique leadership opportunity because of its size and a famously loyal customer base. Nearly one-third of all U.S. consumers shop at Costco. That's a whopping 134 million people.7

If Costco comes forward and commits to more sustainable practices, then other companies might follow its lead.

With your help, we can protect our forests from logging.

Make a donation to our Earth Day 2025 Drive and join our effort to convince Costco to help save the boreal forest.

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Ellen Montgomery and Sammy Herdman, "Threatened by logging, the boreal forest needs our help," Environment America, September 27, 2022.
2. Mike Moffitt, "The fluffy toilet paper you are buying is helping kill Canada's ancient forest, study says," SFGate, July 18, 2019.
3. Jeffrey V. Wells and Peter J. Blancher, "Boreal Birds of North America : A Hemispheric View of Their Conservation Links and Significance," August 24, 2011.
4. Allyson Chiu and John Farrell, "Don't flush trees down the toilet. Use this toilet paper instead.," The Washington Post, April 21, 2024.
5. "Largest Retailers," Capital One Shopping, January 31, 2025.
6. Annie Sanders and Pam Podger, "Costco moves to protect forests following Green Century shareholder proposal," Green Century, October 16, 2024.
7. Ben Ryder Howe, "How Costco Hacked the American Shopping Psyche," The New York Times, August 20, 2024.

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