Junckers Takes More Heat Over Indonesian Wood

Indonesian newspaper Jakarta Post has shed more light on the case where floor manufacturers from Europe including Junckers A/S from Denmark, are being accused of selling wood which has been cut down illegally. The wood is of the rare sort called “Merbau”, which is a special kind of hard redwood used to produce wooden floors. The Merbau is gathered in the poor Indonesian province of Papua on the western part of the island formerly known as New Guinea. It is one of the most valuable woods in Southeast Asia and costs between 200 and 270 US Dollar per cubic meter on the global market.

Trust Not Broken

A report from the environmental organizations Environmental Investigation Agency in London and Telapak in Indonesia accused Malaysian supplier Kim Teck Lee of distributing the illegally cut Merbau lumber to companies such as Junckers. But the Danish company continues to declare its full trust in its suppliers.
This week Junckers’ director Mr. Lars Hermansen returned from a visit to Southeast Asia, where he had a chance to inspect the conditions. He later told a Danish newspaper that Junckers have no doubt that their suppliers have acted in accordance with the law.
“Kim Teck Lee can document all the deliveries he has received last year, and he has followed the procedures and regulations that apply there. There is no doubt there is illegal wood cutting going on in Indonesia, but we share the same interest in making sure that only legally cut wood comes through the export system,” Mr. Lars Hermansen stated.

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