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FSC label suspended
The Forest Stewardship Council, who keeps a check on the sustainable use of wood all around the world, say Ikea’s wood cutting subsidiary Swedwood has made grave errors when cutting trees in Russian Karelia. It has now temporarily suspended Ikea’s FSC label, although Ikea denies the charge is about “cutting down 600 year-old trees” as certain media suggested earlier.
It is unclear whether Ikea will completely lose the right to use the label, but the Swedish furniture chain believes it will only be a temporary measure and has recently stated it will no longer cut trees in the Russian region of Karelia, the region where the FSC breaches were taking place, anyway. Up until then, Karelia was one of the most active tree-cutting areas for Ikea.
Ikea: “We take our responsibility very seriously”
Ikea has issued a statement to make it clear that the suspension of the FSC label has nothing to do with cutting down old trees, what the media had suggested, but that there are deviations in forestry, manuals and employee equipment.
“Ikea is doing its best to remedy these deviations and considers the suspension of the FSC certification to be temporary. The company takes its responsibility for the forests and its employees very seriously”, communication manager Steven De Smet said. “Karelia is a valuable natural region and that is how we look at it as well. 22 % of the forest has been identified as a region which has to be preserved and we do not cut any trees in these areas.”
