Leading retailers push to halt trade in illegal wood products
As the EU debates a new regulation to halt trade in illegal timber products, a group of leading retailers with strong wood purchasing policies are stressing the importance of landing an effective solution.
Kingfisher, IKEA, Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Carrefour have joined to form the Timber Retail Coalition (TRC).
The purpose of the coalition is to push for strong regulation of illegal wood products trade in the EU.
In a press release, the Coalition pointed out that illegal logging creates “unfair competition and severe distortions on the global and European market”.
Ian Cheshire, CEO of Kingfisher plc, said: "The TRC's ultimate aim is to provide our customers with the reassurance that every single wood product they buy has been ethically sourced. We now need Brussels to take the action necessary to achieve this, by regulating against imports of illegal timber to the EU".
Support by the Rainforest Alliance
Manager of the Rainforest Alliance’s Legality Verification Program Christian Sloth welcomes the initiative: “This is a strong message that may help to set Europe on the right track in its efforts to halt imports of illegal timber products. We support the Coalition’s call for shutting the door to the EU market effectively for illegally sourced wood products. As one of the world’s key timber markets, the EU has great influence on the world trade in illegal timber”.
The TRC founders are important market players whose demands have helped to drive certification of their suppliers.
“It is great to see that key organizations are now coming together to push for a level playing field in Europe”, says Sloth.
“We have certified a number of the TRC’s FSC suppliers, who have all invested resources based on their commitment to responsible forestry. For example, the Rainforest Alliance has certified the Russian Swedwood forest companies that are key suppliers of FSC timber to IKEA, and who take special measures to avoid illegal logging in their concession areas. Effective due diligence legislation would benefit all those who are operating in a conscientious way on the wood market”.
Rainforest Alliance programs also support some of the TRC companies in their efforts to secure sustainable wood sourcing. For example, Marks & Spencer is working with the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartSource Program to increase its usage of FSC and recycled materials. In 2009, M&S used 100% FSC or recycled wood materials in its store decor, magazines and leaflets, and more than 90% for many other paper products. Kingfisher acknowledges participants of the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartStep program as ‘acceptable sources’ in its Policy Standard.
Retailers with global impact
A quick glance at some key figures explains why the TRC is a significant initiative:
Kingfisher is Europe's leading home improvement retail group and the third largest in the world. Kingfisher's brands are B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama and Brico Depot. Kingfisher has 830 stores in 8 countries with 6 million customers. Kingfisher pioneered retailer initiatives on sustainable timber, led by B&Q UK's efforts as a founding member of the Forest Stewardship Council. Today, B&Q has achieved full chain of custody across all of its stores for FSC and PEFC products, and more than 90% of B&Q UK’s wood products come from either FSC or PEFC certified sources, with FSC accounting for 75%.
IKEA has 301 stores in 37 countries/territories. Last year, IKEA stores welcomed 590 million visitors and generated sales of 21.5 billion Euro.IKEA has been working actively to curb illegal logging for more than a decade, and is also a long-term supporter of FSC, with a growing proportion of FSC-certified wood supplies.
Marks and Spencer (M&S) is the UK’s leading retailer of quality clothing, food and home products. Over 21 million people visit M&S stores each week. M&S employs 75,000 people in the UK and abroad. M&S is committed to sourcing wood from the most sustainable sources, and plans to become carbon neutral and send no waste to landfill by 2012.
Carrefour Group is one of Europe's largest retailers and is a leading global player operating almost 15,000 stores in over 30 countries. The company employs 475,000 co-workers worldwide.Carrefour offers more than 70 FSC-labeled products, and is using only certified or recycled fiber for its 200,000+ tones of paper catalogues in Europe. Carrefour France is launching 100 million FSC-labeled packages in France during 2010.
Source: Press release from the Timber Retail Coalition and company websites.
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