Companies such as B&Q are responding to our campaigns and consumer demand
The activities of a range of companies, from commercial logging to industrial-scale agriculture, are threatening ancient forests around the world. But, as we've demonstrated across various campaigns, with non-violent direct action, consumer pressure and proper solutions, industry practices can be changed so they can help protect forests instead of destroying them.
Green gauges
As we have all become more aware of environmental issues and how our lifestyles can have far-reaching consequences, companies have also become more interested in what impact their activities are having on the natural world. Many have introduced corporate social responsibility policies that include environmental commitments and are eager to prove how much greener they are than the competition. High street names such as Marks and Spencer and B&Q have already taken great steps in changing the way they do business.
But these policies need to be backed up with implementation and proper auditing schemes that keep tabs on commodities at every stage of their journey, from the forest or field right through to the builder's yard or supermarket. One example is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) system, which certifies timber produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner with its 'tree tick' logo.
The customer is always right
Whether you're a corporate client or a supermarket shopper, consumer power is the key in helping industry recognise the value of our natural resources such as ancient forests, and we've shown how pressure from customers can force companies to reassess their business practices.
During our Amazon soya campaign in 2006, customers across Europe began asking supermarkets and fast food companies whether the soya being fed to their livestock was destroying the rainforest. Those companies in turn began asking their suppliers where the beans were coming from. Within a few months, the global soya traders - Cargill, ADM, Bunge, Dreyfus and Amaggi - had signed up to a two-year moratorium on buying soya from newly-deforested areas and the first steps towards protecting the Amazon rainforest from soya farming were taken.
In the UK, we've also had enormous success in the garden furniture sector. Many home improvement and garden centres were selling furniture made from timber being logged destructively and illegally. But since the publication of our first garden furniture league table in 2004, most retailers and major garden centres have improved their policies and the range of FSC-certified products being stocked is increasing.
After all, if your customers think that trashing ancient forests doesn't make good business sense, they're going to vote with their feet and shop elsewhere.
Pressure from shareholders
It's not just customers who wield enormous power - shareholders can directly influence company policy by using their controlling stake to vote for ancient forest protection. For instance, the shareholders of Kimberly-Clark, the tissue paper giant, have joined our campaign to end the company's role in destroying the Boreal Forest of North America.
In 2006, a resolution urging Kimberly-Clark to use only virgin fibre from sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council was submitted by shareholders representing US$22 million worth of shares.
But you don't have to be a shareholder in a multinational corporation to make a difference. Find out what you can do to help protect our remaining ancient forests.
