The Bruno Manser Fund has reported IKEA AG, Spreitenbach, ("IKEA") to the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research (WBF). The reason for the report is IKEA's systematic violation of the wood declaration obligation that has been in force since 2012. IKEA is a Swiss subsidiary of the multinational IKEA Group based in Delft, the Netherlands.
In a letter to Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the WBF, published today, the Bruno Manser Fund demands that a fine be imposed on IKEA and those responsible for it for violating the Consumer Information Act and the Ordinance on the Declaration of Wood and Wood Products ("Wood Declaration Ordinance").
The Bruno Manser Fund investigated the IKEA range of solid wood dining tables and chairs in five shops (Aubonne, Lyssach, Pratteln, Spreitenbach and Vernier). It was found that in over 80 cases, IKEA did not declare the type and origin of wood or did so in an abusive manner:
- In 40 cases, IKEA did not provide any information on the type and origin of wood for tables and chairs that are subject to declaration.
- In 22 cases, IKEA declares the origin of pine tables and chairs with the abusive designation of origin "North and South America, Europe, India, Oceania".
- In 10 cases, IKEA declares the origin of birch tables and chairs with the abusive collective denomination "China, Europe, Turkey".
- In 11 cases IKEA declares the origin of beech wood tables and chairs with the abusive collective name "Europe, Turkey".
"With this practice, IKEA is illegally concealing the origin of its most important raw material," said Lukas Straumann, Executive Director of the Bruno Manser Fund. "We expect a company of IKEA's size and importance to ensure that the origin of its products is always identified in a legally compliant and customer-friendly manner".
According to the Wood Declaration Ordinance, "any person who sells wood or wood products to consumers" must indicate the type and origin of the wood. Collective designations are permitted by way of exception, but must be limited to the "smallest possible geographical area (e.g. Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, West Africa, Central America, etc.)". The maximum fine for infringements is CHF 10,000.
The IKEA group recently made headlines because of the involvement of its suppliers in illegal logging and clear-cutting in Ukraine and Romania. Around 60% of IKEA's timber comes from Eastern Europe and Russia.