Finnforest UK has put all new contracts with Indonesian mills on hold due to environmental concerns. But the company insists it wants to continue to source from Indonesia and is awaiting the findings of The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) backed Tropical Forest Trust (TFT ) study to decide which suppliers it can deal with.

The company, took the decision to postpone new contracts in June, issued a statement this week in response to recent Greenpeace activity on illegal logging in Indonesia, saying it wanted to clarify its position on its involvement there.

Finnforest believes postponement of the contracts is the right message to send to Indonesia to highlight the seriousness of the situation while offering the Indonesian forestry sector a viable economic reason to progress towards sustainable forestry and eventually certification.

Meanwhile the Indonesian embassy in London has also issued a statement describing its deep regret for Greenpeace’s recent activities at Tilbury where pallets of Indonesian plywood were marked as illegally logged timber. The embassy described the Greenpeace action as “counterproductive for the continuous endeavours to combat illegal logging in the country”.

&#8220The results of this study will help identify those Indonesian mills we feel we can continue to do business with as they make a long-term commitment to eradicating illegal logging and implementing sustainable forestry practices”

Finnforest UK environmental officer Rachel Butler

And the statement concluded: “We did not expect an emotional and shortsighted action, which undermines our efforts and endangers the Indonesian economy and increases the burden of the Indonesian people, who are currently experiencing a most difficult time.”

Finnforest UK’s environmental officer Rachel Butler said the company had contributed money to the TTF for the Tropical Forest Trust study into sourcing legal timber from Indonesia and added: “The results of this study will help identify those Indonesian mills we feel we can continue to do business with as they make a long-term commitment to eradicating illegal logging and implementing sustainable forestry practices.”

Ms Butler said it was essential to ensure swift developments in this critical situation and that Finnforest looked forward to the results of the independent TFT study, due to be published in early September.