IKEA’s wood sourcing fuels logging in Romania’s ancient forests - Greenpeace report

In a new report, Greenpeace accuses IKEA of contributing to the destruction of some of Europe’s last remaining wilderness areas in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, warning that the company’s wood sourcing practices are threatening irreplaceable ancient forests. The group projected its findings onto an IKEA store in Bucharest on Sunday night to mark the report’s launch.

In the new investigation, Felling the Future: IKEA’s Sourcing Threatens Romania’s Irreplaceable Forests, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) said it found evidence that IKEA suppliers are logging High Biodiversity Value Forests, including the Rusca Montană Forest, one of Romania’s last old-growth ecosystems.

Robert Cyglicki, Head of Biodiversity at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, stated: “We have evidence that shows that IKEA is deliberately ignoring warnings to stay out of precious forests that should be protected. Its suppliers are sourcing wood from Europe’s richest wildlife habitats, including one of the last ancient forests of the Carpathians.”

“This starkly contradicts the company’s claims of responsible forest management, sustainable sourcing, and commitment to protect biodiversity,” he added.

The investigation, which combined satellite imagery with field studies, documented the loss of nearly 59 square kilometers of High Biodiversity Value Forests in 2024 alone – an area larger than 8,200 football pitches. Greenpeace said the rate of forest loss in Romania was 2.5 times higher than in neighboring countries Poland and Ukraine.

While IKEA did not deny sourcing from the forests identified, the company has defended its practices as legal under Romanian law and in line with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. Greenpeace countered that Romania’s FSC standard has not been updated since 2017 and fails to integrate EU biodiversity targets, making it inadequate to protect vulnerable forests.

“Analysis of last year’s canopy loss revealed a disturbing trend: forests proposed for strict protection had already been logged before politicians could decide their status under the EU Biodiversity Strategy,” explained Monika Hoffmann, PhD, Nature Conservation Specialist with the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Greenpeace called on IKEA to immediately stop sourcing wood from No-Logging Areas, including ancient and high-biodiversity forests, even if Romanian law allows it. The NGO warned that continued inaction would make the furniture giant complicit in destroying ecosystems crucial for climate stability and biodiversity.

“IKEA faces a choice: protect these irreplaceable forests or be complicit in their destruction,” Cyglicki added. “No one would tear apart the pyramids of Egypt just to reuse the stones – yet that’s exactly what’s happening to our natural heritage.”