Forests

Trade in Burmese teak continues despite ban

Februari 2009 - Despite a European trade ban, Dutch timber companies are continuing to import Burmese wood.

Today Milieudefensie published a research which shows that the wood arrives in Europe via a loophole in the sanction regulations. The Milieudefensie 'Burmese wood inspection team', cordoned off the two largest Dutch dealers in Burmese wood for the yacht-building industry, Worldwood and Boogaerdt, as ‘crime scenes’.

Report 'Sanctioned but not stopped' (PDF)
Watch the video (in Dutch)

What's illegal? Planting trees or stealing our forests?

Januari 2008 - Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth France planted illegal trees in Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris.

This action illustrated the absurd sitiuation that planting trees is illegal while the European trade in Illegal timber stays unpunished.

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RSPO: Stop destructive palmoil

Brussels/Amsterdam, 9 October 2007 – Green campaigners warned today that proposals for certifying palm oil as sustainable are flawed. As the Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) presented proposals to label sustainable palm oil, Friends of the Earth groups staged an installation of screaming tree stumps outside the meeting in Brussels, representing the current environmental violations caused by producing palm oil.

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Review of legal, environmental and social practices of oil palm plantation companies in West Kalimantan, Indonesia (PDF)

World’s biggest palm oil trader shamed

Jakarta (Indonesia)/ Amsterdam (The Netherlands), July 3, 2007 - Wilmar, the world’s biggest trader in palm oil, is illegally logging rainforests, setting forests on fire and violating the rights of local communities in Indonesia, according to a report published by Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

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Report 'Policy, practice, pride and prejudice' (PDF)
Report 'Buyers and financiers of the Wilmar Group' (PDF)

Stop illegal logging!

June 2007. Milieudefensie and the Dutch Timber Trade Federation (VVNH), presented a common statement to the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, mrs Verburg. She promised to plead within the European Union for legislation preventing illegal timber to be placed on the European market.

Half of European's timber imports is illegally logged. This timber comes from forests all over the world. In december 2007 the European Union will finally take decisions on additional measures to halt illegal logging and related trade,within the FLEGT Action Plan. Milieudefensie urges for additional legislation that makes sure that only legally harvested timber can be placed on the European market.

Milieudefensie and Les amis de la terre France investigated two cases of illegal logging in Cameroon and traced the timber from MMG and Fipcam to the Dutch market. Four Dutch timber companies were found to import timber from MMG and Fipcam. The four corporations stated they would stop trading with MMG and Fipcam if the allegations are found to be true and to only start trading again with them if the timber would be verified legal or sustainable.

Press release June 27, 2007
Joint appeal to minister Verburg on illegal timber trade
Report 'Illegally logged timber from Cameroon on the Dutch Market' (PDF)

Inspections and research of wooden garden furniture in ten chain shores in the Netherlands

May 2007 - For the third year in succession, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) has examined the selection of wooden garden furniture in ten chain shores. Milieudefensie took an inventory of the proportion of furniture on the shop floor which is made from FSC-certified wood and of furniture which falsely claims to be sustainable at GAMMA, Groenrijk, HEMA, IKEA, Intratuin, Kwantum, Leen Bakker, Life & Garden, Praxis Tuin and Tuincentrum Overvecht. Approximately 9,500 pieces of furniture in 63 branches were surveyed.

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Summary garden furniture research (PDF)
Watch the video (May 25, 2007) of the Blunt Ax Award 2007