SGBD chief executive Mark Rayfield told the NGO that he believed that it had met its legality risk assessment due diligence requirements under the EU Timber Regulation. But he understood the need for further evaluation of suppliers, following Greenpeace’s allegations, which stemmed from its report – "The Amazon’s Silent Crisis" ¬- claiming widespread fraud and laundering in the Amazonian region timber sector.
He said ipe products were being taken out of Jewson and returned to supplier International Timber. Material at the latter was being quarantined pending the outcome of investigations by the UK EU Timber Regulation competent authority the National Measurement Office, which were triggered by "substantiated complaints" from Greenpeace.
According to the latter, Mr Rayfield promised a further audit of its Brazilian supply chain and to keep in close communication with the green group.
Greenpeace forests campaigner Richard George welcomed SGBD’s moves, but said wider action was needed to combat the illegal trade in Brazil.
"It’s great to see Jewson taking this timber off sale, but this wasn’t an isolated incident," he said. "Illegal logging is the norm in the Amazon and, with so much timber laundering going on, [importing] companies need to tread very carefully to stay within the law. If they’re not checking provenance of their timber, someone else will."
He claimed that the former head of the Brazilian National Forest Service had acknowledged that half of all logging in the whole Amazon region was illegal. In Para state this rose to nearly 80%.
The NMO said that its protocols meant it was still unable to comment on whether it was investigating the issue.
