British furniture company Stylecraft Interiors, formerly known as India Jane, was yesterday (23 June) fined £5,000 for breaching regulations prohibiting the placing on the UK market of illegally harvested timber.
The enforcement action was carried out by the Government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards, which enforces the timber regulations.
India Jane, whose store locations include Chelsea in West London, failed to carry out due diligence on a Bruges Sideboard imported from China in 2018 in breach of The Timber and Timber Products (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2013.
Timber supply chains are regulated to reduce deforestation and ensure harvesting practices are legal, encourage sustainable harvesting practices and support global forest governance.
Businesses trading in timber and timber products must take steps to ensure that they originate from legal sources.
The Timber Regulations obligate UK business to carry out due diligence that reduces to negligible the risk of illegally harvested timber entering the supply chain.
At Westminster Magistrates Court, Stylecraft Interiors was fined £5,000 plus costs after pleading guilty to the offence.
Business Minister Paul Scully said:
This decision by the court sends a powerful message to companies that they must ensure any timber products they sell come from legitimate sources.
We will continue to work to protect UK consumers and the environment by tackling the trade in illegal timber.