Timberland Teams with Green Rubber™ to Reduce Global Tire Waste

To combat the negative impact of global waste tire build-up, the Timberland Company�a leading environmental steward�will launch two new footwear collections featuring outsoles made using recycled rubber from discarded tires. Currently, more than seven billion tires sit in landfills worldwide, leading to one of the largest and relatively unknown environmental issues. Through the use of Green Rubber� proprietary and patented technologies, Timberland will help transform waste tires into a valuable raw material.

�We are facing an unpublicized epidemic with 1.2 billion tires being disposed in landfills every year leading to water pollution and breeding grounds for disease-carrying insects,� said Datuk Vinod Sekhar, CEO and Founder, Green Rubber Inc. �With Green Rubber�s environmentally friendly technology, we can start to make a real dent in the mountains of tires creating an environmental blight on the planet.�

Recognizing that rubber is a valuable and reusable resource, Timberland will be the first footwear manufacturer to commercialize Green Rubber technology, incorporating it into the outsoles of more than 200,000 pairs of shoes scheduled for release in fall 2009. Using a blend of Green Rubber compound and virgin rubber compound (for an outsole that is made up of 42% recycled tire crumb), Timberland is able to maintain the durability and performance characteristics of their footwear.

�We are thrilled to have found a way to support making rubber a more sustainable resource. Green Rubber is positioned to have a major impact on the global rubber industry; managing tire waste can now become both a commercially viable and eco-conscious process,� said Jeffrey Swartz, CEO, The Timberland Company. �As a company we are committed to connecting successful commerce to environmental responsibility, and this is a great opportunity for us to share our commitment to sustainability with our customers.�

Green Rubber technology creates a new source of rubber compound made from waste tires through a non-toxic, environmentally conscious de-vulcanization process called DeLink�. This technology converts any sulfur-cured rubber compound (including scrap rubber from old tires) into a recycled compound which can be used on its own or blended with virgin rubber compounds to produce a wide variety of rubber products, like outsoles. Using waste tires as a raw material provides the rubber industry with a cost-effective supply of rubber and can help to reduce dependence on raw materials that are derived from non-renewable petroleum sources. Through this process, Timberland forecasts that the fall 2009 collections will use 50 tons of Green Rubber material, displacing 42 tons of virgin rubber with recycled tire rubber.

By 2012, Green Rubber intends to recycle the equivalent of more than 200 million discarded tires every year. The company is about to launch an aggressive expansion program as it looks to open new manufacturing plants for its revolutionary rubber compound in the Americas, the Middle-East, Asia and Europe.

Share Your Voice:

Are you passionate about the outdoors and the environment? Buying products with a lighter footprint, such as those containing Green Rubber, is just one way for people to express their environmental values. For more information on Timberland�s relationship with Green Rubber and to participate in the discussion on waste tire build up and environmental behavior change, visit the Earthkeeper blog and let your voice be heard.

About Timberland:

Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland�, Timberland PRO�, SmartWool�, Timberland Boot Company�, Howies� and IPATH� brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company�s products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland� retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland�s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company�s commitment to �doing well and doing good��forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com. To learn more about becoming an Earthkeeper, visit www.earthkeeper.com.

About Green Rubber:

Green Rubber Inc. is a subsidiary of the Kuala-Lumpur based conglomerate The Petra Group. The company�s DeLink technology provides a way of recycling waste rubber into a cost effective, high quality rubber compound that can be used in a huge range of new applications including tires, shoe and boot soles, hoses, mats, sporting goods and automotive and industrial products. Green Rubber recently received the prestigious Global Green product design award for the company�s revolutionary recycled rubber compound. To learn more about Green Rubber please visit www.green-rubber.com.

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