April 23, Pozirk. Sanctioned wood from Belarus and Russia is illegally entering the United Kingdom, The Guardian reported, citing new research by World Forest ID.
The non-profit was created in 2017 to ensure transparency in global forest-connected supply chains. The organization collects geographically-linked samples of wood and other plants from around the world. It subjects them to chemical and genetic analysis, creating unique markers for each species and growing region. Using this data, the organization develops AI-enabled spatial models that help determine the origin of the traded products.
According to The Guardian, experts found that 46 percent of birch samples labeled as products from Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Latvia came from elsewhere. Based on the analysis, they identified Belarus and Russia as the only likely countries of origin.
“The UK has been a leader in sanctions and trade laws and certification schemes but they are only as good as the tools with which they are implemented,” said Jade Saunders, executive director of World Forest ID.
The article notes that birch is grown and processed commercially in much of Northern Europe, including large parts of Russia and Belarus. “After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it became illegal to import Russian and Belarusian plywood and timber products into Britain and other European countries due to sanctions,” it says.
The researchers had no admission to the names of the companies, which provided the samples discreetly.
The Guardian notes that the exports of Russian birch to European countries, including the UK, have fallen sharply since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, but deliveries from other countries, including Kazakhstan and Turkey, have increased dramatically. It cites UN trade statistics, according to which Kazakhstan increased plywood exports from 600 tons in 2021 to 25,600 tons in 2022.
The paper also cites an investigation by the environmental organization Earthsight confirming the conclusion of World Forest ID: Belarusian plywood is being shipped to the EU and the UK.
Media reported earlier that Earthsight conducted an investigation and concluded that the Russian military directly controls some forest areas, profiting from logging. In Belarus, slave labor of political prisoners is reportedly used to process wood.
Plywood from Belarus and Russia is registered as products manufactured in other countries, such as China, Kazakhstan or Turkey, to be sent to the European market. The largest importers are Poland, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. According to the researchers, 22 containers with sanctioned goods are imported to the EU every day.
The analysts said that in Europe, some furniture, parquet, sports equipment and toys were made from Russian and Belarusian plywood.
On March 2, 2022, a package of EU sanctions was adopted against Minsk. Among other things, it banned the export of wood products, such as lumber, briquettes, fuel pellets, plywood and wood boards.
