IKEA, accused of using wood from the secular forests of Romania: we respect the legislation and FSC standards

The company IKEA responded, to the request of “Adevărul”, the accusations that were made by an environmental NGO of using wood from the secular forests of Romania, giving assurances that they comply with the local law and the FSC standards.

Ikea, accused of using wood from the secular forests of Romania. Photo Truth

Greenpeace published the results of an investigation on Tuesday morning that IKEA would threaten the most precious forests in Europe, located in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.

“Although I warned IKEA since last year about these serious damage, the company deliberately continues to ignore problems with its supply chain. The richest natural habitats in Europe, including the last secular forests in the Carpathians are at stake ”said Mihnea Matache, spokesman, Greenpeace Romania. “It is a problem of morality, not legality.”

The Greenpeace CEE used satellite images and carried out field investigations to document an amazing loss of almost 59 square kilometers of high -value or potential forests (High Biodiversity Value Forests) in 2024 – an area greater than 8,200 football fields. The investigation reveals new evidence of the links between IKEA suppliers and the destruction of these threatened areas.

When Greenpeace CEE revealed last year that IKEA producers are supplied from precious forests and shared a map of the areas where forestry should be stopped. IKEA has defended some practices, claiming that the human disturbances in the past have made these areas no longer eligible for protection. This argument contradicts the scientific consensus at European level: even previously affected forests can support an extraordinary biodiversity if their ecological continuity remains intact.

According to Greenpeace, the company also operates on the basis of a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification that does not meet the EU biodiversity goals, allowing IKEA to hide behind a label that no longer guarantees sustainable forest management.

According to the Greenpeace CEE investigation, the rate of loss of precious forests in Romania is 2.5 times higher than in neighboring countries, such as Poland and Ukraine.

Greenpeace asks Ikea to suspend supply

According to Greenpeace, although the forestry can be legal in accordance with Romanian legislation, it is far from sustainable. European conservation science and policy clearly indicate the need for strict protection of these forests in accordance with the EU biodiversity strategy. The supply of wood from these irreplaceable areas – even when allowed – causes irreversible damage to nature and biodiversity.

“The environmental organization requires that IKEA suspend the supply from all areas identified by Greenpeace and scientists so far as prohibited areas of exploitation, as a preventive measure, at least until the end of the official design of 10% of Romania for strict protection. It also asks the company to revise the supply policy in order to align with the EU biodiversity objectives, which provide for the strict protection of at least 10% of the terrestrial and marine area by 2030.

In the absence of an official morality, the cessation of exploitations in these valuable forest areas remains at the level of moral obligation of the company. For two years, the Ministry of the Environment carries out a process of identifying the areas to be under strict protection to reach the target of 10%. The fate of hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests with high conservation value depends on the fastest completion of this process and the official designation by the ministry”, Informed the NGO.

What Ikea says

At the request of “Adevărul” regarding the accusations brought by Greenpeace, Ikea replied:

“We always carefully analyze the concerns expressed by Greenpeace. We agree to the importance of strict forest protection, but we do not share the approach and accusations. Relevant actors provide long -term agreements that balances environmental, economic and social considerations.

After analyzing the report, we can confirm that the wood used in the IKEA products from these forests fully respect the applicable legislation and the FSC standards. The wood from protected secular forests is strictly forbidden in our supply chain. However, following our assessment, we have requested FSC Romania to analyze the need for additional protection. ”