As the COP climate talks begin in Glasgow, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is opening its doors to one of Europe’s worst forest offenders, HS Timber Group. The FSC had disassociated from the company in 2017 following a formal complaint from WWF Germany citing illegal logging in Romania’s forests. Despite the company’s failure to gain […]
European Consumers of Tropical Plywood have been the Unwitting Drivers of Threatened Forest Degradation Washington, D.C.— In an unprecedented investigation that connects threatened forests of Solomon Islands, China’s timber manufacturing hubs, and European importers, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA-US) reveals today that several European companies appear to have imported thousands of tons of tropical-faced plywood, […]
On January 31, Romania released a new electronic timber traceability system, an important step in its transition to a fully digital forest sector. Unfortunately, the new system has inexplicably removed all public transparency. Following years of intense public pressure on the government to end the rampant illegal logging that is plaguing the country, the new […]
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) received with dismay the statement made by the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) on October 2nd, regarding EIA’s press release Dutch Authorities Stop Chinese Plywood Import. We would like to provide the following response to allegations made in the TTF’s statement: TTF accused EIA of not giving enough information to support […]
Washington D.C. – As of this week, the Dutch competent authority has ordered the company Sakol Nederland B.V. (“Sakol”) to cease importing in violation of the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) a tropical face plywood product from Jiangsu High Hope Arser Co. Ltd. (“Arser”). Arser is one of the largest plywood exporters in China. This […]
With all eyes on Ghana this week as the country hosts delegates from throughout West Africa for a meeting organized by the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss the rosewood crisis that continues to devastate the entire region, a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) […]