Romanian do-it-yourself retailer Brico Depot has stopped buying timber products from Austrian producer Holzindustrie Schweighofer, according to a press release published by the retailer yesterday.

The Austrian group has been accused of purchasing, processing, and selling wood coming from illegal logging activities and recently lost its certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

“We wish to sell timber products whose origin is 100% secure, allowing our customers to make durable choices,” said Christian Mazauric, Brico Depot Romania CEO. He added that all the retailer’s product range is approved by committees such as the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).

Brico Depot is part of British group Kingfisher plc, a home improvement retail group in Europe. The group has over 1,100 stores in ten countries in Europe.

At the end of last year, the DIY retailer Hornbach also announced that it would terminate the collaboration with Holzindustrie Schweighofer starting January 2017, even before the Austrian group lost its FSC certification.

Over 10,000 Romanians signed an online petition last year asking the big DIY retailers on the local market to stop buying timber products from Schweighofer. The biggest local DIY retailer Dedeman, however, said it wouldn’t cancel the contracts until a final court decision against Schweighofer proves the group broke the law.

The Austrian group says it has been taking all the measures that a private company can take to minimize the risk of purchasing wood from illegal logging operations.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Brico Depot Romania on Facebook)