"IKEA’s main supplier in Brazil accused of environmental damage", 26 February 2024

...[A]n investigation by Disclose based on our documentary ‘Ikea, Lord of the Forests’, broadcast on Arte on 27 February, reveals that the firm’s main partner in Brazil has all the makings of an environmental criminal. Artemobili, the company that makes its furniture for the U.S. and European markets, was sued in 2018 and again in 2022 for multiple environmental crimes. The Brazilian company confidently threatened to take Disclose to court should its business links with Ikea, its main export customer, be mentioned publicly. This is the story that the Swedish firm and its Brazilian supplier would rather forget...

...But this partner may well become problematic: Disclose has discovered that its flagship factory, on the outskirts of the town of Nova Prata, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, has been involved in multiple acts of pollution over the past few years.

...Artemobili has buried large quantities of toxic waste, according to the state environment police force, who inspected the premises in November 2018...Artemobili has also cut down trees around its factory over at least 8,000 square metres, Brazilian environmental inspectors noted: “In addition to digging work, there has been unauthorised removal of native vegetation, with some areas considered as wetlands”...

...In November 2022, Rio Grande do Sul authorities discovered that the company had set up without any authorisation a “full-fledged sawmill and a storage silo” in the vicinity of its factory. Artemobili was fined 28,886,35 reals (€5,700 euros)...

These days, Ikea may have to answer to the Brazilian judiciary for the environmental damage caused by its leading local partner. “I fully understand Ikea’s responsibility in this economic chain,” said Annelise Steigleder, the Rio Grande do Sul prosecutor in charge of the environment...