Ikea’s FSC Suspension Withdrawn

The Rainforest Alliance has lifted the suspension of the Forest Stewardship Council certificate of Swedwood Karelia’s forestry operations, following an independent appeals committee evaluation of the annual audit.

Ikea has reportedly had its certificate suspended after the discovery that the furniture chain has been cutting 600-year-old trees in Russia. The FSC alleged that protected forests in Karelia, Russia, were not being sustainably harvested by Swedwood, Ikea’s forestry subsidiary.

“We are pleased to get the suspension of our FSC certificate withdrawn since it is important for us to demonstrate a responsible forest management. Our focus is now to continue our work with good forest management and make sure that the outstanding deviations are closed,” Anders Hildeman, Forestry Manager of IKEA Group said in a statement.

After the suspension of the FSC certificate in January 2014, Ikea Industry and Swedwood Karelia submitted an appeal to determine whether the grading of the non-conformances was in line with FSC standards.

Swedwood Karelia has been FSC certified since 2006 and is annually inspected for compliance with the FSC standards, according to Ikea.