SCA Selects First American Crewmember to Join Only All-Female Team in Volvo Ocean Race

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SCA, a leading global hygiene and forest products company based in Sweden, today announced the first American sailor to join Team SCA, the only all-female crew to compete in the 2014-2015 Volvo Ocean Race. Sally Barkow, a former Olympic sailor and Wisconsin native, joins an international crew of eleven women who will compete in a nine-leg race around the world, covering more than 39,000 miles of the world's most challenging oceans and conditions. 

The Volvo Ocean Race is one of sailing's "Big Three" events along with the America's Cup and the Olympics. "Team SCA," the official name for the crew, was the first to announce an entry for what will be the 12th edition of the race, which will launch from Alicante, Spain, in October 2014. An all-female team is uncommon for the sailing competition (there hasn't been one in more than a decade) due, in part, to the intense physical challenges of the race. However, all boat entries this time are using the exact same boat design, leveling the playing field.

"The Volvo Ocean Race offers us a great opportunity to raise the profile of SCA and its brands in the U.S. in a way that supports our B2B customers," said Don Lewis, president of SCA in the Americas. "Team SCA's participation aligns strongly with a key focus of our company ­– respect for nature – and underscores our connection with our consumers worldwide, 80 percent of whom are women."

SCA global hygiene brands include Tork® dispensers, napkin, towel, tissue and wiper products used in commercial settings, and TENA® incontinence care products used by consumers at home and in healthcare facilities.

"SCA offers products that improve care of life for families and individuals at home and in the public settings where our products are used. Additionally, SCA has a strong sustainability focus as a company with carbon-neutral operations, as our growing forestlands absorb more carbon than we emit in our production each year. Care of life is a key concept for our company worldwide," said Amy Bellcourt, vice president of SCA. "Our participation in the Volvo Ocean Race is an inspiring example of this. We're putting the resources behind the courageous women of Team SCA to empower them to live out a lifelong dream and compete on a team with women who share their passion."

American sailor Barkow, an Olympian, joins Team SCA

Barkow joins a growing team of international sailing champions. Team SCA crewmembers to date include Carolijn Brouwer from the Netherlands; Sam Davies, Abby Ehler, and Annie Lush from the United Kingdom; and Liz Wardley, Stacey Jackson and Sophie Ciszek from Australia.

Justine Mettraux from Switzerland was also announced today as joining the crew.

The crew has been undergoing a rigorous training program at the Team SCA base in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands since September 2012.

"Joining the first all-female team that has a strong ability to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race is very exciting," said Barkow, native of Nashotah, Wisconsin. "The women of Team SCA represent many places in the world. I am proud to represent my country and to give SCA employees and customers in the U.S. a personal connection to the team and the race."

Barkow, 33, began sailing at the age of five on Pine Lake, where her home is located. She has been on and off the Olympic circuit for the past 10 years and has also been involved in several other offshore races, including the 2011 Women's Match Race Championships and Princess Sofia Trofeo, for which she was awarded gold medals. At the 2012 French Olympics Sailing Week, Barkow's "Team 7" collected the silver medal. She loves sailing for the competition and the excitement and focus while racing. In 2008 she competed for the U.S. in the Summer Olympic games in Beijing.

To learn more about the Volvo Ocean Race, follow along with Team SCA crew training and race updates, please visit TeamSCA.com. You can also follow Team SCA on social media via their Twitter handle, @team_sca, and Facebook page.

SCA will be highlighting the company's participation in the Volvo Ocean Race throughout 2014 and 2015 through activities with their U.S. brands, TENA® and Tork®.

SCA shares are quoted and traded primarily on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange as the company is based in Sweden, and as American Depository Receipts in the U.S. 

For six consecutive years, SCA has been honored by Ethisphere as one of the world's most ethical companies. Fortune magazine has also ranked SCA as one of the world's most admired companies in the forest and paper products industry. Additionally, the company is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

About SCA

SCA is a leading global hygiene and forest products company that develops and produces personal care products, tissue and forest products. With sales in 100 countries, SCA has 36,000 employees and had revenue in 2012 of $13 billion. With nine manufacturing facilities across North America, the company's Americas headquarters is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In North America, SCA produces the Tork® line of napkin, towel, tissue and wiper products used in commercial settings such as office buildings, restaurants, schools and healthcare facilities and the TENA® line of incontinence care products used by consumers at home and in healthcare facilities. TENA and Tork are the global leading brands in their categories. For more information, visit www.sca.com/us

For additional information, please contact:
Amy Bellcourt, SCA Americas Vice President Communications
[email protected]
518-369-8880

SOURCE SCA Americas