“Watchdog Objects To Certification of Rubber Company", 11 September 2014

The environmental watchdog Global Witness has filed a formal complaint with an international nonprofit called the Forest Stewardship Council, following the group’s certification of a Vietnamese rubber company accused of land grabs and forced evictions. Global Witness says it wants clarification on why the Vietnam Rubber Group [VRG] has been recertified by the council after it its certification was suspended in November 2013. The Forest Stewardship Council is an international nonprofit aiming for responsible management of forests worldwide…Global Witness says the Vietnam Rubber Group does not meet criteria for certification…In its own defense, VRG says its projects have been approved by the governments of Cambodia and Laos and that it has avoided farmland and significant forest areas in its operations.