Last fall, DN was able to reveal, citing “controversies” in northern Sweden, that the world’s largest food company Nestlé had stopped purchasing new fibers from SCA.
Now the German clothing and e-commerce giant Zalando is following suit.
Zalando is the main sponsor of Copenhagen Fashion Week. In connection with this fashion week at the end of January, the company was criticized by environmental organizations such as Skydda Skogen and Greenpeace because its packaging material was linked to the deforestation of forests worthy of protection.
In a written comment Zalando has now confirmed to DN that they are taking action. The company says it had allegations of human rights violations and environmental destruction examined by an external consulting firm last year.
“We do not purchase products directly from SCA, but after completing this investigation and after further internal and external dialogue, we have made the decision to phase out SCA materials in our packaging products,” a Zalando spokesperson wrote to DN.
According to Zalando, the decision, which was first brought to attention by the Danish newspaper Sustain Report, is based on the desire to make “responsible decisions”. The instructions have now been forwarded to the company’s supply chain. According to Zalando, the physical transition to new suppliers is expected to take “a few months.”
In its statement, Zalando also criticizes the sustainability label that the Swedish forestry industry often relies on. The company says it is in discussions with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to “address concerns about FSC certification.”
The message is welcomed by the Sami Councilwhich has long been sounding the alarm because modern forestry is destroying reindeer herding.
– We see it as positive that large companies are changing direction and seeing the reality of how forestry affects the rights of the Sami people. “It’s good that they stop buying raw wood from northern Sweden because the forestry company has no regard for reindeer pasture and the living conditions of the Sami,” says Karin Nutti Pilflykt, forest consultant at the Sami Council.
SCA and Swedish forestry industry often emphasize that they plant a new forest for every tree they cut down. But research shows that modern forestry has had drastic consequences for reindeer herding.
The ground lichens, which are vital for reindeer survival in winter, are greatly reduced. SLU studies show that over 70 percent of lichen-rich areas have disappeared in the last 60 years.
The reason is, among other things, that tillage destroys the lichens and that the new plantings are so dense that sunlight does not reach the ground.
DN previously revealed how SCA announced in an email to Sami villages that reindeer herding will have less influence on whether or not harvests take place in the future.
DN requests comment from SCA.
When Nestlé made a similar announcement in November, industry organization Skogsindustriernae dismissed the criticism as a “misleading picture of reality” created by activists.
However, Zalando states that their decision is based on their own independent investigation.
Read more:
Nestlé stops buying raw wood from northern Sweden: “controversy”
SCA harvests in key biotopes and contiguous forests
Forestry companies cut wood in sensitive areas – despite environmental certification
This is how the pine tree influences the forest ecosystem
