An undercover investigation by Earthsight has revealed widespread laundering of illegal Russian and Belarusian plywood into the EU. This is a blatant breach of sanctions that were put in place to restrict Russia’s ability to trade with the EU.
Sanctioned products continue to enter the EU via rogue channels in China, Kazakhstan, & Turkey. Through these supply lines, illegal ‘Blood-Stained Birch’ from seven out of ten of Russia’s largest Birch Plywood manufacturers, has managed to reach every EU member state, including the UK.
It’s believed that over €1.5billion euros of ‘Blood-Stained Birch’ has entered the EU since the start of the Ukraine conflict. The biggest importers appear to be Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Estonia and Greece. It has also been reported that the Russian military has directly profited from these plywood sales.
Within DHH Panel Products, the message remains clear. Ensure you are fully compliant with UKTR and do your due diligence, as the authorities are wising up. Purchase your Birch Plywood from a reputable supplier such as ourselves, who are a registered TDUK Member with a Responsible Purchasing Policy. By using a responsible and regulated wood supplier, you eliminate your chances of unknowingly purchasing ‘Blood-Stained Birch’.
You can find out more on the Earthsight Website; where you can also read the Full Report. We’d also like to thank the team at Earthsight for their hard work in bringing this to the authorities’ attention. It’s very important that we all remain vigilant whilst this remains a very active issue in the birch plywood trade.
