Asia DIY Giant Bans Illegal Timber Goods

15 June 2007

Companies supplying China with illegal timber were dealt a major blow when the world's third largest home improvement retailer B&Q Asia this month announced a scheme to root out illegal supplies and guarantee within three years all products will be from certified responsible forestry programs.
B&Q operates more than 50 retail stores across China and recently acquired Germany’s Obi Home Improvements and its 50 stores in China.
Two months ago, Greenpeace revealed that many timber species commonly sold in home improvement stores across China came from countries where up to 80% of the logging is illegal and destructive.
At a press conference in Beijing, B&Q Asia's chief executive Scots-born Steve Gilman said the company had started working to ensure that all the timber products it sells in China come from legal sources.
B&Q has also stopped selling flooring made from merbau, a tropical species sourced from Papua New Guinea.
"Despite our best efforts to assess the sources of our merbau flooring, we were unable to gain sufficient assurance that it was coming from legal operations," Gilman said.
"As a result, the only responsible choice we can make right now is to stop buying or selling this product, even though it has historically been one of our top sellers."

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