Orang-utans at the Wyevale garden furniture centre

(London, 25 April 2005) Greenpeace today welcomed an announcement by Wyevale - the UKs largest garden centre chain - that they will stop sourcing timber from trashed rainforests and cease selling garden furniture that is helping to finance the brutal military dictatorship in Burma.

In a statement issued by Wyevale, the garden centre retailer stated that they will stop buying garden furniture from 'all sources that are illegal or controversial, with a view to totally excluding all such timber' and 'ensuring that by 2008 all timber products are sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests or progressing towards being FSC certified by the Tropical Forest Trust.' (1)

Last month, Greenpeace exposed Wyevale for selling garden furniture sourced from the last remaining rainforests of South East Asia, home to the critically endangered orang-utan, and from one of the worlds most brutal military dictatorships in Burma. Timber is a key source of revenue for the Burmese regime.

The company was listed bottom of a league table of garden furniture retailers, which was compiled following a four-month investigation by Greenpeace. The investigation revealed that some of the UK's largest retailers, including Argos, continue to sell timber from the destruction of the world's last rainforests.

However, at the top of the league table are B&Q who, amongst other retailers, have taken positive steps to remove uncertified rainforest timber from their stores. These retailers sell garden furniture certified by the FSC - the only way consumers can buy garden furniture confident in the knowledge that it has come from environmentally and socially responsible sources.

Nathan Argent, Greenpeace forest campaigner, said: "It is great news that Wyevale has committed to stop selling garden furniture from trashed rainforests and they'll ensure that in future all timber products will come from legal and well-managed forests.

"However, other garden centre chains continue to sell timber pillaged from the worlds remaining ancient forests. The rest of this sector needs to take urgent action to follow Wyevales lead and ensure that all their garden furniture comes from FSC certified sources."


For more information or background pictures call the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255. To view the full league table visit click here.

Notes
(1) The full Wyevale statement said: 'Wyevale's policy is to ensure that all the timber in our products comes from forests independently certified as well managed, according to the standards set out by the Forest Stewardship Council. Wyevale will actively seek to source FSC certified timber products for our business.

Wyevale acknowledge the environmental and social issues connected with the sourcing of tropical hardwoods and as a result have become members of the Tropical Forest Trust.'

Key aspects of Wyevale Garden Centres' timber sourcing policy are:

• Working towards full transparency of all forest sources used by Wyevale.
• commitment to sourcing timber only from well managed, legal and non-controversial sources, which carry recognised and acceptable certifications.
• A clear goal of aiming to ensure that all timber products sold by Wyevale are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or progressing towards being FSC certified through the Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) by 2008.
• Reporting annually on progress towards achieving set goals.

Illegal logging in the Amazon

WYEVALE GARDEN CENTRES are responsible for trashing endangered rainforests and helping to fund one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world, Greenpeace has revealed today.

The timber for Wyevale's 2005 garden furniture range has come from the last rainforests of south-east Asia. The disgraced garden centre chain is also purchasing timber from Burma, providing a key source of revenue to the country's military dictatorship.

The announcement came as Greenpeace revealed this year's league table of garden furniture retailers, with Wyevale firmly placed at the bottom. The league table has been compiled following a four-month investigation by Greenpeace, which has identified that some of the UK's largest retailers continue to sell timber from the destruction of the world's last rainforests.

Documents provided by Wyevale indicate that the timber used for some of its garden furniture is exported from the port of Labuan, off the coast of Malaysia. This port is one the main centres for smuggling illegal Indonesian timber, which passes through Malaysia and on to furniture manufacturers in the Far East.

Wyevale is the largest garden centre chain in the UK, with over 110 stores in England and Wales. Garden furniture sales in the UK in 2003 peaked at £557 million.

Retailers such as Argos are selling furniture from Indonesia, where nearly 90% of logging is estimated to be illegal. Illegal and destructive logging in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia is driving critically endangered species such as the orang-utan to the brink of extinction, where it is estimated that as much as half the population of orang-utans has been wiped out in just ten years.

However, some retailers, such as B&Q and Tesco have taken positive steps to remove uncertified rainforest timber from their stores. These retailers sell garden furniture certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - the only way consumers can buy garden furniture confident in the knowledge that it hasn't come from ancient forest destruction.

Greenpeace has also developed an easy-to-use online guide to buying garden furniture. It is designed to help consumers identify which shops sell environmentally friendly garden furniture, as well as those who still sell furniture from rainforest destruction.

Nathan Argent, Greenpeace forest campaigner said: "Wyevale have acted disgracefully by buying timber pillaged from some of the world's last rainforests in order to sell garden furniture. There is absolutely no excuse for this abhorrent behaviour.Wyevale is one of the few places in the UK where you can help destroy rainforests and fund a military dictatorship in one visit. No-one wants their garden to become a graveyard for the world's last rainforests. Customers should buy only garden furniture that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council - the only way to be sure that it is from legal and well-managed sources."

For more information or background pictures call Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.

To check out the online consumer guide visit saveordelete.com

Click here to see the garden furniture league table.