Doubt over ‘green credentials’ for Wickes and B&Q

Two of the biggest DIY retail chains have been accused of selling wood that may have come from endangered rainforests in Borneo, according to an article in the Daily Mail.

The accusation has been made of B&Q and Wickes, both who claim to source products from responsible sources. But the Daily Mail claims that an investigation has  shown that a wholesaler from Malaysia called ‘Asia Plywood’ who supplies stores in the UK, has produced large quantities of plywood which originated from Borneo. The company was investigated and the company was ‘stripped of its right to ‘green credentials’ last month’. The UK’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) had also said that sale of goods provided by Asia Plywood was authorised until the day their certification was cancelled. But according to the Dail Mail ‘….the FSC was unable to explain why it gave this guidance when its investigation agency, Scientific Certification Systems, said no plywood produced since February last year should have  been certified.’ But there does seem to be confusion over timber being sold by stores here and whether certification was granted after February 2011.

The Daily Mail also say that it is clear when you look at Asia Plywood’s website that the company is based in Sarawak, which is an area of Borneo that has been hugely affected by illegal deforestation.