Brazil: Amazon timber from carbon credit projects targeted by the Federal Police was sold to companies in Europe and the US; incl. companies' comments
"Illegal timber from Amazon carbon credit projects reached Europe, U.S.", 16 December 2024
...High-class pool decks, furniture, floors, ceilings and boats. Those are some of the primary destinations of the valuable tropical timber that leaves South America in large containers to supply markets in Europe and the U.S.
But consumers may be taking home the spoils of crime...
This timber originated in forest management plans owned by Ricardo Stoppe, a physician and entrepreneur who is suspected of leading a criminal group responsible for extracting 38,000 truckloads of illegal wood from the Amazon Rainforest.
...[T]he Federal Police targeted the group in Operation Greenwashing, which also revealed Stoppe’s role in land-grabbing a plot of public land three times the size of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest metropolis, in Amazonas state...
REDD+ refers to a program aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation emissions. It operates on the principle that landowners are financially rewarded for preserving areas at risk of deforestation. The emissions prevented by this conservation effort can be sold as carbon credits, which companies can purchase to claim they are “offsetting” their carbon footprint. By doing so, these businesses claim to fight climate change by ensuring the protection of vital forests.
According to technical reports obtained by Mongabay, a significant portion of the timber illegally taken from Indigenous territories and protected areas was exported. “This practice highlights the transnational dimension of the criminal operations, amplifying the consequences of the legal-administrative land-grabbing scheme perpetrated by the organization,” the investigators wrote in a report...
“These companies had an obligation to trace the wood from the exact point where it was cut until it was sold on the European market"...
In an email to Mongabay, Dimapex confirmed the purchase from Stoppe’s areas and said it was surprised by the alleged irregularities since all its purchases undergo rigorous due diligence. Read the complete statement here.
Vandecasteele said every shipment from Brazil undergoes a comprehensive due diligence procedure, including “thorough documentation, satellite imagery, and a detailed review of each company’s history within the supply chain.” Read the complete statement here.
Industrial Pine Products told Mongabay it had no interest in commenting. Oregon-Canadian Forest Products, J. Gibson McIlvain and Rockland Wood Products didn’t respond to Mongabay’s emails...
Besides profiting from carbon credits and illegal timber, Stoppe’s group is also being investigated for cattle laundering — in which herds from an illegally deforested area are sold as if they were raised on a legal ranch...
Two of these farms, both in Porto Velho, supplied JBS’ slaughterhouse in the same city, Rondônia’s capital...
In a statement sent to Mongabay, JBS said the farm was in compliance with the company’s socioenvironmental criteria at the time of the purchase. Read the full statement here...