Research by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) shows that eco-labels for wood are also awarded to companies that do not comply with environmental standards. Austrian companies are also mentioned in this context. For example, teak from Myanmar was illegally supplied to a timber company in Lower Austria. The company speaks of an “individual case”.
The import of teak from Myanmar has been banned in the EU since mid-2021. Nevertheless, the wood wholesaler J. und A.frischeis (JAF Group) from Stockerau (Korneuburg district) is said to have bought or resold 17 tons of this wood via Poland last spring. A statement from the JAF Group on its website about these allegations of suspicion said they are being taken “very seriously”. “An official inspection is currently being carried out at our Polish subsidiary, which is expected to be completed shortly. Other sites, particularly in Austria, have not been affected by official proceedings as far as we know.” The company has 56 branches in 17 countries and a total of around 3,000 employees.
“Internal control mechanism ineffective”
It concerns about 20 cubic meters of teak that, according to JAF, was purchased through an EU-based company. “Of course we are committed to only trading teak from Myanmar if it has been imported into the EU in the years leading up to the sanctions. This does not seem to have been the case with the spring 2022 delivery. We deeply regret this.” A procedure is underway in Poland. “In this case, our internal controls did not work,” the company’s management continued. “We stand behind this mistake. A package of measures has been adopted that includes tightened internal control mechanisms and far-reaching improved training measures.”
Raid on Tyrolean subsidiary
More than a hundred house searches took place in Romania last September, including at a subsidiary of the Tyrolean wood group Egger, according to research by the international consortium, which also involves the ORF, “profil” and “Der Standard”. However, the Tyrolean company emphasizes that the suspicion in Romania was not directed against Egger, but against suppliers.
The record producer Schweighofer HS Timber has already responded to allegations in the past. One can no longer be supplied by the now accused business groups in Romania, Schweighofer sustainability officer Michael Proschek-Hauptmann said in the “Ö1-Morgenjournal”.
“FSC is not reliable”
For Ursula Bittner of the environmental organization Greenpeace, the Egger example shows “that a company can be responsible for illegal logging, for corruption and still receive a green sustainability label”, as she said in the “Morgenjournal”. Your criticism focuses on the world’s largest label for sustainable forest management, the FSC (Forest Stewardshop Council) certificate. “The current results of the research network speak for themselves: FSC is not reliable,” Bittner explained in a broadcast. In the Austrian eco-label, FSC has been used to date to demonstrate sustainable forestry. “Minister Leonore Gewessler must pull the string here and put an end to this greenwashing in the state eco-label and public tenders,” demands the environmentalist.
Marc Jessel, Integrity Officer at FSC, rejected Greenpeace’s accusation of greenwashing in the “Morgenjournal”: “We have 52,000 certificates worldwide in the FSC system and it is very clear that we do not allow illegally harvested wood into our supply chains. If that happens, we react sharply, but I think such events are exceptional events and certainly not the norm.”
Uniform standards and stricter controls
According to “Standard”, PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is particularly active in Austrian forestry. PEFC Communications Manager Thorsten Arndt emphasized that his organization sets forest management standards based on the state of the art. Even the UN uses PEFC as an indicator for its Sustainable Development Goals and the Biodiversity Agreement. Green MEP Thomas Waitz called for uniform EU-wide protection standards for forests in a broadcast. SPÖ environment spokeswoman Julia Herr called for stricter import controls on wood.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
