IKEA and the Forest Stewardship Council: “Don’t believe the greenwashing”

A recent documentary on Arte revealed the serious impact that the world’s largest consumer of timber, IKEA, has on forests around the world.

Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about these impacts from looking at IKEA’s website which tells us that,

“At IKEA, we believe we can accomplish more by working together. For many years, we have been committed to working together with different stakeholders to protect and strengthen the world’s forests. One of our key partners is the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) – an organisation that brings together different voices that represent a wide range of needs for responsible forest management. IKEA was one of several founders in 1994.“

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FSC board stops GE trees learning process

In March 2023, FSC’s Board decided to discontinue the FSC Genetic Engineering Learning Process. The bias in favour of GE trees was clearly revealed by the fact that FSC’s “expert” panel for the learning process included Professor Steven Strauss of Oregon State University. Strauss has spent his career researching and promoting genetically engineered trees, and has has actively lobbied for FSC’s ban on commercial planting of GE trees by FSC-certified companies to be lifted.

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The appointment of Steven Strauss to FSC’s “expert” panel reveals the pro-GE agenda of FSC’s learning process on GE trees

By Chris Lang

One year ago, the Forest Stewardship Council launched a “learning process on genetic engineering in forestry outside of FSC-certified area”. According to FSC, the aim of this “learning process” is “for FSC and its members to gain sufficient and trusted knowledge on developments in genetic engineering in forestry”. But FSC has appointed a panel of “experts” whose members have very little expertise in either genetic engineering or forest ecology, with one notable exception: Professor Steven Strauss of Oregon State University.

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Gone! FSC’s 1994 cut-off date for destroying forests for monoculture plantations

By Chris Lang

At it’s General Assembly in Bali last week, FSC’s members voted to allow companies to be certified that have cleared forest to make way for industrial tree plantations between 1994 and 2000. In order to be certified, the company has to restore an area of forest equal to the area they destroyed. The cut-off date has now been moved to 2020. Any company converting forest to plantations after 2020 cannot be certified. Until FSC makes another decision to scrap its cut-off date, that is.

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Civil society organisations call on FSC to drop Samling Group

A coalition of civil society organisations have made a Policy for Association complaint demanding that the exclusion of the Samling Group from the Forest Stewardship Council. Samling’s logging operations are not FSC-certified, but the company holds three FSC chain of custody certificates.

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NGOs raise the alarm that the Forest Stewardship Council is opening the door to the global release of genetically engineered trees

By Chris Lang

In February 2022, FSC announced that it is starting a “learning process on genetic engineering in forestry outside of FSC-certified area”. According to FSC’s website, “The aim of the FSC GE learning process will be for FSC and its members to gain sufficient and trusted knowledge on developments in genetic engineering in forestry.”

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“FSC is no longer fit for purpose”. Open letter to the FSC demands immediate reform

In recent years, the UK-based NGO Earthsight has produced a series of investigative reports featuring the problems with the Forest Stewardship Council. These include exposing illegal Russian timber and illegal Ukrainian timber, both certified as legal and sustainable by FSC and sold by IKEA; and illegal Peruvian timber, FSC-certified and on sale by Robinson Lumber in the USA.

At the start of last year’s FSC General Assembly Earthsight coordinated an open letter to FSC, highlighting what’s wrong with FSC and demanding immediate reforms. The letter was signed by 34 organisations.

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