Australasia's home for timber news and information

AFPA says green groups spread misinformation

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) said that it is deeply concerned by the latest round of misinformation being spread by extreme green groups that may damage manufacturing and cause job losses in Australia. Source: Timberbiz

Dr David Pollard, chief executive officer of the AFPA said that targeting customers with misleading information about legitimate, legal and certified timber products by organisations must stop.

According to the AFPA, Markets for Change has been targeting customers in Japan and encouraging people to click on a weblink, which automatically spams multiple email addresses in Japan telling customers that the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is “totally inadequate for Australian wood products”.

“This blatant attempt at commercial sabotage has two clear objectives, firstly to close down a natural and sustainable industry in Australia and secondly to destroy the brand value of PEFC, the world’s largest forest certification organisation which currently certifies over 240 million ha worldwide.

“Some environmental groups like Markets for Change and the Last Stand, which share the same video footage, are on a quest to close down any industry that they take a dislike to – paying no regard to the facts, the science and the environmental benefits of storing carbon in forests and harvested wood – for the life of the product.

“The Tasmanian forest industry is a sustainable, biologically focused industry which takes great care in preserving Tasmania’s forest for the next generation to enjoy.

“AFPA has taken the unprecedented step of producing its own YouTube video to counter some of the misinformation and to provide comfort to customers of Australia’s renewable forest products industry.

“Australian workers in regional areas deserve no less support and I do wonder where the Australian government is on this issue,’ said Dr Pollard.