Dec. 7, 2007 Sears has sparked protests for printing its holiday catalog on paper sourced from environmentally sensitive areas in Canada. The nonprofit group ForestEthics staged demonstrations in 70 North American cities Tuesday, citing the catalog company for using paper fiber from endangered caribou habitat in Ontarios Boreal Forest.

The Sears Wish Book, sent to 4 million homes across Canada, required 162,000 trees and enough energy to power 3,299 homes for one year to produce," says Leah Henderson of ForestEthics. "Clearly the company needs to join the 21st century and get an environmental policy.

This is the first time in 14 years that the company has published a holiday Wish Book, downsizing from 300-plus pages to about 180. Sears produces more than 425 million catalogs every year with at least a quarter of its paper supply coming from Canadas Boreal Forest, according to ForestEthics.

ForestEthics has successfully applied pressure to catalog retailers in the past. It's "Victoria's Dirty Secret" campaign persuaded the lingerie empire in 2006 to print its popular catalog on sustainably forested paper fiber.

Despite environmental concerns, retailers are increasing their reliance on print catalogs to help boost online sales, according to a recent study.