Campaigners have raised concerns that Ikea furniture sold in the UK is linked to the destruction of wildlife-rich old-growth forests in Romania.
A report from Greenpeace warns that seven manufacturers producing items destined for Ikea stores across Europe were sourcing wood from high-conservation-value forests in the Carpathian Mountains, including sites designated for nature.
Ikea said it was looking into the report, warning that illegal wood and bad forestry practices had “no place” in the company’s supply chain and any indications of that would be investigated immediately .
Greenpeace said the Romanian Carpathians were a key refuge for plants and animals, and were home to brown bears, lynx, wolves and the European bison.
But the environmental organisation accused the authorities and companies of wanting to avoid identifying areas as primary or old-growth forests to avoid restrictions, leading to just 2.4% of the region’s forests being protected against logging.
Official data suggests around 7% of the forests are more than 120 years old, and should be protected, Greenpeace said.
The campaign group’s investigators followed the supply chain, analysing permits and satellite imagery of legal logging sites in the forests in Romania, through wood depots and manufacturers to where the products end up.
It said it found old-growth forests, where trees were 120-180 years old on average, being logged, including in two Nature 2000 areas.
Such sites are designed to conserve wildlife and habitat under EU law, though protection varies.
Greenpeace said publicly available information showed Ikea was the biggest customer of products manufactured by several companies which were sourcing wood from high-conservation-value forests.
These include children’s cribs and bed frames, chairs, step stools, sofas and cutting boards, with items from the manufacturers sold in stores across Europe including the UK.
While Greenpeace acknowledges that furniture is a good use of wood, storing carbon and adding value to raw materials, the organisation said that must not happen while sacrificing biologically diverse forests.
It called for immediate protection of such woodland.
Robert Cyglicki, biodiversity campaign director at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, said: “Our nature heritage can’t be turned into pieces of furniture.
“Old forests are vital to the planet’s health and must be immediately protected.
“Ikea must live up to its own sustainability promises and clean up its supply chain from old-growth forest destruction.”
He added: “Ikea must become a corporate frontrunner for the needed political action to put in place legally binding and effective biodiversity protection measures to fulfil Europe’s biodiversity targets.”
In a statement, Ikea said: “We are currently going through the Greenpeace report in detail.
“We welcome a transparent dialogue and look forward to discuss the matter further once we have had a chance to read the full report.
“We take information about the risk of violation of internal and external forestry requirements very seriously. Illegal wood and bad forestry practices have no place in the Ikea value chain.
“Any indication of this is immediately investigated. If we discover irregularities, we take immediate action, including terminating business relationships.
“We will be able to come back with a response shortly.”