An investigation into criminal imports of timber into the UK
Behind closed doors: A major Greenpeace investigation into criminal imports of timber from the Amazon Rainforest to the UK High Street- July 2000
Each month more than 1400 tonnes of plywood from the Amazon rainforest ends up in the UK as cheap plywood used and trashed on building sites. The plywood has no independent certification that it's from legal or sustainable sources.
During the last 10 months Greenpeace investigators using tracking devices and equipped with camcorders have been documenting the import of trade of criminal timber from the heart of the Amazon rainforest to the UK. Investigators have been documenting evidence of this illegal timber through the supply chain route to its end user. Greenpeace's investigation has uncovered a trail of criminal plywood from the Amazon rainforest to the British Museum, the furniture store Heals, the Olympia Exhibition Center and dozens of large and small timber merchants, yards and depots around the country.
On July 28th, the UK Government announced a major change in its timber
procurement policy and a crackdown against the use of illegally obtained
wood in Government building projects. From now on, Government offices
will actively seek to buy timber from sustainable sources such as those
certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification schemes.
This major breakthrough will send a powerful message both to the UK
timber and construction industries and to their suppliers operating in the
Amazon and other ancient forests, as well as give a major boost to
certification schemes - such as FSC.
