Greenpeace Releases Report In A Bid To Help Construction Companies Avoid Illegal Plywood

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The import of plywood to the UK is having a massive ecological effect on the rest of the world. Whilst consumers are growing ever more careful in their choice of food, clothes and even mode of transport it seems it is the construction of buildings that is currently having one of the biggest detrimental effects on forests worldwide, including endangered rainforests. In recent years, Greenpeace investigations have uncovered the use of plywood, often manufactured in China, illegally logged in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Brazil on sites across the UK. These include two refurbishments at the government's Cabinet Offices, at the construction site of the Home Office and at the British Museum.

In a bid to raise awareness throughout the construction industry Greenpeace has devised a step-by-step report entitled, ‘Setting a new standard: alternatives to unsustainable plywood in the UK construction industry’ which promotes the use of environmentally and socially responsible material such as that certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Greenpeace Forest Campaigner Mariana Paoli said, ‘Tropical forests are being destroyed to make way for throw-away products like plywood. It's time for architects, specifiers and construction companies to clean up their act and we hope this report will provide the motivation for them to take action on this issue.’

The UK is Europe's largest user of plywood, and is the third largest importer of illegal timber in the world (according to WWF statistics the UK spends approximately £712 million a year on illegal wood). Despite this, the report shows that there is no technical reason why unsustainable tropical hardwood plywood cannot be replaced with alternatives such as FSC Oriented Strand Board (OSB), which is locally sourced, competitively priced and readily available on the UK market. Greenpeace is pushing the UK government and the European Union to adopt legislation which would make it illegal for companies to buy timber products not coming from legal and well managed forests.

Endorsing the report, Peter Ainsworth, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment said, ‘No organisation has done more than Greenpeace to draw attention to the perilous state of the world's ancient forests. There is now a need for urgent action to save what remains, for the sake of the forests themselves and their unique wildlife, and for the benefits they bring to our climate. While governments dither and bicker, this excellent report shows in a clear and compelling way, that there is action that responsible businesses and all of us can take to help.’