Nearly half of the birch wood approved by the leading sustainability plans is to identify an attack and does not come from the name of the name called, according to a new test. The analysis raises fears that large quantities of wood punishable from Russia Belarus It is still illegal Enter Britain.
New research before Global forest identifierThe Research Organizations Federation, which includes the Kyu Gardens and the Global Resources Institute, has examined the accuracy of dozens of harvest-on birch products, which have been almost fully approved by the Forest Supervision Council (FSC) and a program for the design of forest certificates (PEFC).
Persh samples – the famous solid wood used in furniture, kitchen panels and musical instruments – have been classified as originated in UkrainePoland, Estonia and Latvia. But the tests that use the “chemical fingerprint” of wood showed that 46 % of the approved samples did not come from the original on the poster.
Birch tree is cultivated commercially and treated in most of the north EuropeIncluding large parts of Russia and Belarus. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has become illegal to import the products of Russian and Polish plywood, Blysus for Britain and other European countries due to sanctions.
Experts said that while the tests did not specify the country where the wood slept. Russia Belarus was the only reasonable origin.
“Where can it be from?” David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK, said the Trade Association in Industry, and responded to the analysis.
“There are a small number of companies that produce these things legally,” he said. “Birch trees in Finland are taken by a small number of a bulletin that produces birch wood.
Hopkins said: “There are pockets of it in other places in the tik and the downedbes. But the largest part of it will be from Russia, and put the money in the Russian economy and violate the sanctions while you are doing so.”
Certification questions
FSC and PEFC are the most commonly used wood certificate diagrams, which aim to enhance the sustainable management of forests and prevent forest removal.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, FSC was suspended Her testimony of wood from Russian and Belarus, and has banned all of the censorship wood from the two countries. PEFC decided to classify wood from both countries as well “Conflict wood”This means that they can no longer use her testimony.
But the analysis of the new global forest identity – which was partially funded by FSC – was found to be 52 samples with a FSC or PEFC certificate, 24 had 24 claims. While the tests were conducted on relatively few samples, the report’s authors said that their findings indicate that the current censorship was not sufficient to ensure accurate claims.
To test wood, researchers used an analysis of the ratio of stable isotopes, comparing the chemical makeup of birch samples with a reference database from all over northern Europe. Scientists have used signs of differences in cases of light, soil and water to estimate the geographical origin.
“The UK has been a pioneer in sanctions, trade laws and ratification plans, but it is good as the tools that are implemented in,” said Jade Sanders, Executive Director of World Forest Id.
“The chemical tracking is a completely new way to think about what is really present in our supply chains. We know that we can only solve problems if we can see them, and in this study we saw it very clearly, so it is time for the government and the safety of the supply chain safety to start solving them.”
FSC said that it took any indication of possible fraud seriously and welcomed the research of the international forest identity, adding that it was investing actively in new technologies to ensure reliability in supply chains. She said she was unable to reach the names of companies that provided secret samples.
PEFC said that the results should be placed in the context and that only 14 % of the samples were associated with their certificates. She said that the generalizations on the overall event of their sustainability plans should not be performed from the analysis.
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Certification plans are the main way that companies are exporting sustainable wood, and avoiding contributing to the destruction of rainforests and other biological diversity environments. The report raises questions about whether current certificate systems are reliable.
Flasting penalties
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022, registered Russian birch exports to European countries, including the United Kingdom, decreased significantly. But in the months that followed, Commercial data appears Exports from other countries, including Kazakhstan and Turkey, have risen significantly.
In the case of Kazakhstan, plywood exports jumped from 600 tons in 2021, to 25,600 tons in 2022, according to it. United Nations Trade Statistics.
In January, Earth -search was published An investigation into the birch wood washingI found that a network of organizations has found a way to avoid European sanctions, with 20 containers of wood containers Continue to reach every day. The Russian army and the oligarshin are profitable near Vladimir Putin directly from selling wood, according to the report.
“Wood is a great export to Russia,” said Sam Lwson, founding director of Earth -Sight and one of the reporters.
“The European Union and the United Kingdom have banned all imports of Russian and steam wood, including products made with them. Our investigation has found that these sanctions were widely cleared.
“We concluded that more than 1.5 billion euros [£1.3bn] The value of illegal penalties – wood in the blood, has essentially – in Europe since the sanctions entered into 2022. Many plywood that people were in their kitchens were imported, and for furniture and modern things, before the conflict was imported from Russia or Belarus. This wood is still able to reach Europe.
The British government was contacted to comment.
