Tong Tana December 1999 - Bruno Manser Fonds

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Switzerland JUMBO MIGROS COOP correct declaration partly correct declaration no declaration insufficient declaration wrong/misleading declaration BMF investigation db – It is astonishing how Swiss market leaders hold their promises. In autumn 1998 and on the occasion of Swiss TV’s “Kassensturz” (consumer’s rights) program of October 1999, the Bruno-Manser-Fonds investigated and evaluated the labeling according to species of wood and country of origin of 120 wood products in one of the branches of the three largest Swiss shops selling building and hobby products: Migros (annual turn over Swissfrancs 400 million), Coop (SF 403 million) and JUMBO (SF 480 million). The investigated products included tools, furniture, building material, hobby materials and household articles. In the process it became clear that the three wholesale shops fulfill the consumer’s rights to objective product information differently. The differences between the shops as to how they kept their almost 10 year-old promises to reduce the use of tropical wood and to declare products according to species and origin became obvious. species and origin as well as the production methods is useful information which enables us to make our decision for a purchase. In the field of agriculture we are already quite progressive, only in the case of wood products we have not yet succeeded, although opinion polls show that the consumers are willing to pay more for wood produced using good forestry practices. Because the “voluntary” declaration approved by the Federal Council did not work, Swiss Parliamentarien Christoph Eymann submitted the Motion “For a mandatory declaration according to species and origin for wood and wood products” to the National Council in November 1997, the limitation period of which expired this autumn after not being treated within two years’ time. Christoph Eymann immediately submitted another Motion with the same wording (Motion Eymann No. 1999.3542). Transparency in trade and the right to objective product information must become more than catchwords during the next millennium – for the sake of the forest! 12 Mandatory declaration jk – The 1990s were marked by the unleashed forces of global free trade. Even the best laws cannot help if the industry emigrates to areas with a “Wild West” economy where no environmental protection, no labor laws, no human rights hinder the capital from multiplying. Now suddenly goods from the furthest reaches of our planet dominate our markets, displacing native products and causing many a branch of the domestic economy to die out. Neither the Swiss consumers, highly sensitized if compared internationally, nor the local producers are willing to accept this and call for transparency in trade and – depending on the scandal involved – even for an import ban. The composition, Fire-raiser in the rainforest: Protest against JUMBO
With disdain! Arson in the rainforest: JUMBO jk – In the spring of 1999 the JUMBO wholesalers, belonging to Maus Holding (Manor, Nordmann a.o.) and market leader in the building and hobby sectors, sold garden furniture in 37 Swiss branches made of wood from Sarawak as “Camping 1999”. According to a label from the supplier the woods Keruing and Yellow Balau were used which were “taken under full state supervision and control, the area reforested again in Sarawak, Malaysia, and southern Laos”. The meaning of state-controlled forest management in Sarawak is known to all by now. Both hardwoods only grow in the rainforest. There is no reforestation of Keruing and Balau in Sarawak. The BMF asked JUMBO for information as to the area concerned, the type of reforestation and the company carrying this out – without success. Only when Swiss TV’s “Kassensturz” program paid them a visit to ask permission to shoot a film there did the giant start to move. Hurriedly all suppliers of wood were notified that JUMBO could not afford negative propaganda in future and that for this reason they will only accept suppliers from 1st January, 2000, who credibly certify and declare their goods. After further research the BMF obtained documents about the garden furniture. According to these papers the Kong Thai Company in Sarawak is logging a peat bog forest on an area of 200 km 2 , selling the logs to the Hua Chin saw mill. It is then exported by the Bilwin Bhd. Company to Vietnam, where it is made into garden furniture for the European market by Scanviwood Ltd. of Denmark in Ho Chi Minh City. An undated declaration of Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation was enclosed with the papers in which it accredits itself with sustainable forest management as well as an old working plan which was valid until 1994, according to which “as much timber as possible should be removed from the forest”. The fact that indigenous people also live here was only mentioned at one point (no. 17 of 59) which states that the local populace profits in diverse ways from the rainforest. Not a word on reforestation can be found in the papers! Unfortunately JUMBO had believed these completely worthless documents. For this reason five BMF activists climbed onto the roof of the JUMBO headquarters in Dietlikon/ZH on October 22, opened their banner stating, “arsonists in the rainforest” and lit smoke bombs while Bruno Manser remained on the ground with the voluntary BMF firebrigade and informed the management of JUMBO about the following demands: 1. JUMBO will refrain from further purchases of wood from virgin rainforests (Ramin, Keruing, Balau, Limba, a.o.). 2. JUMBO will publish the trade figures on products made of Ramin, Balau, Keruing. How much profit did JUMBO make with these woods in 1999 and how much does JUMBO still stock 3. JUMBO will finance a project for the peoples affected by logging in Sarawak with profits from its sales program “Camping 99”, from Ramin strips and other products made of wood taken from ravaged virgin forests. This could consist of the mobile dental clinic for the Penan and Kelabit suggested by the BMF in Sarawak/Malaysia (running costs for 2 years: US$ 200,000; present starting capital: US$ 10,000). 4. JUMBO will declare all woods and wood products according to species and origin. JUMBO’s CEO Claude Lewin agreed in written form with points 1 and 4 but took no notice of the demands for transparency and recompensation. The head of JUMBO’s environmental section, Peter Stefani, immediately assumed his role as “chief of the fire brigade” and with no need for instructions put out a symbolic fire with a watering can. Bruno Manser will gladly accept the invitation to talk about the issue in a workshop for JUMBO employees. The BMF, however, also assumes that JUMBO demonstrates ethical responsibility and stands by its demand for recompensation. The BMF also still demands the same from Coop and Möbel Pfister – if necessary, the BMF will again climb up on the roofs next spring – for the sake of the forest! 13 JUMBO’s environmental chief extinguishes a symbolic fire.
Page 1 and 2: January 2000 Newsletter on rainfore
Page 3 and 4: Sarawak - Malaysia Taib Mahmud - Ch
Page 5 and 6: Proposed Biosphere Area in Eastern
Page 7 and 8: Mutang Urud meeting in Malaysia, he
Page 9 and 10: Arson in Sarawak I jk - The forest
Page 11: Switzerland Derborence Sion A virgi
Page 15 and 16: BMF Internal Where have the poison

Tong Tana December 1999 - Bruno Manser Fonds

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