Ikea’s green credentials have been called into question after new images showed vast swaths of forest owned by the company reduced to ‘moonscapes’.
The flatpack furniture maker has made bold statements about its ambitions to ‘transform’ the forestry sector. From setting up biodiversity parks in India to grilling the Polish government about pulling out of a global sustainability convention, Ikea is keen to brag about its positive impact on the world.
But images published by Danmarks Radio, a Danish public broadcaster, show large areas of land in Romania owned by the company that have been desecrated by human intervention.
The five Ikea-owned locations show massive scars caused by large machine tracks, while each location showed freshly cut trees with little to no vegetation growing.
“It falls completely outside the boundaries of what is called sustainable forestry in 2024,” Jacob Heilmann-Clausen, a biodiversity expert at the University of Copenhagen, told the makers of Ikea Loves Wood, a documentary examining the company’s alleged practices.
One of the main issues raised in the documentary was the alleged practice of clearing entire areas of a forest.
This would either leave no ‘habitat trees’ for wildlife to live in, or it would be virtually in line with Romanian law which states that a single tree per hectare may be left alone.
“It’s like old-fashioned forestry in Third World countries, where you ruthlessly go in and extract a resource,” Heilmann-Clausen said.
Images published by Danmarks Radio, a Danish public broadcaster, show large areas of land owned by the company across Romania that have been desecrated by human intervention.
Huge scars can be seen in the five Ikea locations, caused by large machine tracks
Freshly cut trees were seen at every site, with little to no vegetation growing
Ingka, which operates the forests on behalf of Ikea, told MailOnline in a statement that it denied that trees were being felled on a massive scale, adding that it was not only replanting felled trees but also expanding existing tree populations.
It also said it left habitat trees at the landscape level, rather than on an acre-by-acre basis.
The group claimed the documentary was based on “selective stories” and left out “critical facts.”
It added that 18 independent audits had confirmed this year that it complied with Romanian law.
“The density of our forests in Romania has increased by more than 1 million cubic meters since 2016 as a result of our responsible forest management practices in the country,” a spokesperson said.
‘Our forests in Romania are among the most strictly controlled in the country.’
‘The claim of ‘lunar landscapes’ based on selective drone images misrepresents the situation on the ground. Take Tibau as an example: the deforestation in this area was carried out by the previous owner, and not by Ingka Investments/IKEA.
‘Since acquiring the land (2015), we have restored its ecological functionality by planting more than 60 hectares, ensuring the long-term health of the forests and biodiversity.
“We remain deeply committed to our mission to protect biodiversity, limit climate change and promote responsible forestry practices worldwide.”
About four percent of the wood used in Ikea’s products comes from Romania, home to some of the last remaining remnants of Europe’s ancient forests.
“It’s like old-fashioned forestry in Third World countries, where you ruthlessly go in and extract a resource,” said one biodiversity expert.
A view of an Ikea sign next to the entrance to one of its branches in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 2, 2023
Ikea is estimated to own approximately 125,000 hectares of forest spread across the country.
Despite the audits, several investigations by environmental groups in recent months have linked Ikea to “destructive forestry practices” in Romania, both on its own land and in forests managed by its suppliers.
One investigation suggested that some of the company’s local partners in the country were logging ancient forests in the Carpathians in a manner described as ‘potentially illegal’.
Greenpeace, the environmental campaigner group, said it has traced at least 30 Ikea products from these suppliers to stores in 14 countries, including Britain.