Greenpeace Pursues Lumber Liquidators

Williamsburg, VA, May 20, 2014 -- Conservation group Greenpeace says that Lumber Liquidators may be selling flooring made from illegally harvested wood in Brazil, according to the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.

Greenpeace says it conducted a two-year long investigation into the Amazon timber sector and found that because of irregularities in Brazil's forest management system the Toano-Virginia based flooring retailer can't know if it is obtaining legally harvested wood.

Last year federal agents raiding Lumber Liquidators headquarters searched for evidence that the firm imported illegally harvested wood from Russia. At least two class-action lawsuits were filed.

Greenpeace says that Lumber Liquidators is buying wood from Brazilian suppliers that have been linked to illegal logging.

“The policies and procedures that we have in place for the sourcing, harvesting and manufacturing of our products are designed to meet or exceed legal requirements,” the firm said in a press release.

Greenpeace said that much of this wood comes from Pará State, Brazil’s largest timber producer and exporter. It is estimated that 78% of the timber logged in Pará is taken illegally, Greenpeace said.

Greenpeace noted that one of the company’s suppliers, Pampa Exportacoes, is connected to its case studies of forest crime and has been fined over $1 million in environmental fines.