A coalition of more than 120 human rights and environmental groups is calling on governments to ban any import of wood or wood products from Russia and its ally Belarus.
The taiga region of eastern Russia is considered one of the lungs of the earth, while Belarus is one of the regions with the highest forest coverage in Europe. Timber is an important export business for these two countries, and the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict has made the world situation turbulent. , and also caused dissatisfaction with these more than 120 NGOs.
"Both Russia and Belarus rely heavily on the export of wood and wood products," the alliance said in a statement issued on March 3. "In 2021, exports of wood and wood products from the Russian Federation will be worth $13.9 billion."
Most of the wood is sold directly or indirectly to the US, EU, UK, Japan, and China, they said. These woods are used to make buildings and furniture, among other things.
The coalition said that the two governments' income from timber exports would be used to attack Ukraine and that importing timber from these two countries amounted to a violation of the human rights of the Ukrainian people.
“The Russian and Belarusian governments use the proceeds from timber exports to arm the Russian army, fuel their tanks and produce bombs. Therefore, importing Russian and Belarusian timber and timber products means supporting the Russian army’s attack on Ukraine.” These groups Say.
In addition to calling for a boycott, the environmental investigation NGO Earthsight released a list of large European and American companies importing Russian wood, including Swedish furniture giant IKEA.
“Russia is IKEA’s second-largest source of wood. IKEA is also a major consumer of Belarusian wood,” Earthlight said. “In 2021, IKEA directly imported $33 million worth of wooden furniture panels and finished furniture from Russia.”
Almost all of IKEA's boards come from Russian factories, and there is also a large amount of Russian wood that is indirectly added to IKEA's sales through other countries and importers.
At present, IKEA has announced the suspension of all import and export operations in Russia and Belarus, and the suspension of IKEA's production activities and retail operations in Russia.