Archived press release

"greenwash" company flogs mahogany beds

20 January 1999

Photo Opportunity:

DEMO OUTSIDE THE WROUGHT IRON BED COMPANY, 25 GOODGE ST, W1

9.30am WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20TH

Friends of the Earth Indonesian forest campaigner will be attending.

The Wrought Iron Bed Company [1], which owns a major West End furniture store, has been using “greenwash”, including false use of Friends of the Earth's name, to persuade the public to buy cut price mahogany beds. The company has been repeatedly told by FOE that there is no environmentally sustainable source of mahogany.

The company has flooded national papers since November with adverts for the beds. It told Friends of the Earth that the mahogany is from plantations in Java in Indonesia. These plantations have not been independently certified, but are claimed to be 'well managed' by the Indonesian timber industry. The industry is in fact responsible for widespread corruption, abuse of human rights, illegal logging and using fire to clear land [2].

FOE has evidence that the company's employees have repeatedly claimed to concerned customers that FOE has endorsed their beds as environmentally friendly. FOE's lawyers have warned that this is an improper use of the organisation's name, and the matter has now been referred to local Trading Standards officers.

Longgena Ginting from FOE Indonesia said:

“The so called certificates of sustainability that this company has procured from Indonesia are not worth the paper they are written on. They only serve to confuse the consumer and do not protect the forests in Indonesia. The certificates have been produced by ASMINDO,an Indonesian business association of furniture producers. ASMINDO represents the interests and profits of its members. It is not entitled to certify that timber comes from sources that do not destroy forests and respect local peoples' rights”.

FOE advises consumers that the only way to guarantee that new wooden furniture is environmentally sustainable is to buy only furniture displaying the Forest Stewardship Council logo (FSC) [3].

Sarah Tyack, Forestry Campaigner for Friends of the Earth said:

“This company is trying to kid customers that they are doing the planet a favour. In fact they are abusing the good name of Friends of the Earth to flog tropical timber products that destroy precious rainforest. We demand that they stop this behaviour at once. Consumers need to know that to buy timber with a clear conscience, they must look for reclaimed or locally produced wood, or wood carrying the FSC logo.”

[1] Wrought Iron Bed Company: 25 Goodge St, London W1P 1FD Tel: 020 7631 3498

[2] Indonesia has the world's longest list of species threatened with extinction including the Sumatran tiger,Asian elephant, Sumatran and Javan rhino. clouded leopard, sunbear and orangutan. All of these animals' habitats were severely affected in the fires in Indonesia. Indonesia currently loses around one million hectares of forest each year - around 1% of its remaining forests. Regulation of forest activities and protected areas is woefully inadequate.

[3] The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit organisation committed to bridging the gap between responsible producers and consumers of forest products worldwide. Its forest principles have been drawn up in conjunction with environmental and social groups and industry. The FSC enables producers who practise sound forest management to provide a guarantee that the timber they produce has been well managed. Their UK number is 01686 413916.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust