Seventh Generation Commits to Sustainable Palm Oil

BURLINGTON, VT--(Marketwire - September 24, 2009) - Seventh Generation, the nation's top brand of family-safe, environmentally healthy household solutions, has announced a commitment to obtain 100% of the palm oil used throughout its product lines from certified sustainable sources by 2012. The company's new initiative will support responsible producers while adding an important additional measure of renewability to its best-selling consumer goods. To mark the launch of the project, Seventh Generation will host a special panel discussion and live webcast on palm oil issues Thursday, September 24th.

A crucial component in countless items found in the typical grocery store -- from foods and drugs to personal care items and detergents -- palm oil is one of the world's most important vegetable oils and a key ingredient in the plant-based surfactants used by Seventh Generation's cleaning products. In recent years, however, growing demand has led to devastating deforestation and rising greenhouse gas emissions from the felled rainforests of Southeast Asia, and imperiled the indigenous peoples and endangered species living there.

Over the next two years, Seventh Generation's new program will identify responsibly managed palm oil sources. Once certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, the company will transition all its purchasing to these new suppliers and create 100% traceable, environmentally benign palm oil supply chain.

To highlight the project's importance, Seventh Generation is hosting a special panel discussion on palm oil issues and solutions. The event takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Thursday, September 24th at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, and the public is invited to join the conversation in person or via live webcast. The panel will be moderated by Emmy award-winning journalist Simran Sethi and will feature Jeffrey Hollender, Chairman of Seventh Generation; Michael Besancon, Senior Global Vice President of Purchasing, Distribution and Marketing at Whole Foods Market; Leila Salazar-Lopez, Agribusiness Campaign Director of the Rainforest Action Network; and special guest Matilda Pilacapio, Papua New Guinea human rights activist.

"Palm oil is used in more than half of all the products in the typical supermarket," said Hollender. "But few people are aware of what this actually means on the ground in the places that produce it. The hidden costs are enormous, and they can't be allowed to continue. As one of the larger non-food buyers of a palm oil derivative in the country, our new sourcing initiative will help jump-start the sustainable palm oil industry. We also hope it encourages a national conversation about these issues and creates a model other companies will follow. Palm oil can be responsibly produced, and that's our ultimate goal: to make the entire global supply is as low-impact as possible. That's what we'll be talking about on Thursday as we begin this work."

Learn More During a Live Webcast

For further information about the live event and to register, please visit www.seventhgeneration.com/sustainable-palm-oil/boston-event. For webcast registration please visit http://video.webcasts.com/events/pmny001/viewer/index.jsp?eventid=32045. To learn more about palm oil and Seventh Generation's unique new purchasing initiative, visit http://www.seventhgeneration.com/sustainable-palm-oil.

About Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal-care products for your living home. Our products are healthy and safe for the air, the surfaces, the fabrics, the pets, and the people within your home -- and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers products for baby that are safe for your children and the planet.

For information on Seventh Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products, to find store locations, and explore the company's website visit www.seventhgeneration.com. To read more about Seventh Generation's corporate responsibility, visit the Corporate Consciousness Report at: www.seventhgeneration.com/corporate-responsibility/2008.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Brandi Thomas Seventh Generation 802-658-3773 x760 bst@seventhgeneration.com www.seventhgeneration.com