Greenpeace has written to timber company WTK and its subsidiary Amaplac expressing serious concern over the company's failure to recognize their involvement in the illegal timber trade in the Brazilian Amazon.
The letter from Greenpeace was responding to claims by Amaplac that it has 'nevr purchased from unauthorised and illegal logging operations' (PTF release 5th July). This is clearly not correct. From 1998 to 1999, five of Amaplac's seven third party suppliers were fined for dealing in illegal timber and Amaplac itself has been fined three times.
Greenpeace has asked importers and traders of Amaplac plywood in the UK to suspend sales until Amaplac can give an independently assessed assurance that none of its third party suppliers are involved in the illegal log trade. Greenpeace would also like to see as a stated aim from companies importing and using timber, that all timber originating from the world's remaining ancient forests should come from an independently certified source.
John Sauven, Greenpeace forest campaign director said,
"In meetings with a large number of timber companies no one has disagreed with the line that timber should come from legal and sustainable sources. But to make this a reality companies have got to get tougher on their suppliers. There should be no trade with logging and timber companies caught with illegal products and there should be more vocal demands by UK companies and the UK Government for independently certified timber."
Every month hundreds of tonnes of plywood from the Amazon comes into the UK. The Brazilian Government has said that 80% of all wood logged in the Amazon is taken illegally. A Greenpeace investigation using its ship the MV Amazon Guardian in May and June in the area of the Amazon where WTK gets its logs, uncovered several illegal log rafts.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255/6/7/8
