Logging violations: FSC finding not conclusive, Samling clarifies
According to the timber giant, investigation findings released by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) were not conclusive and only found potential violations by the company, as opposed to a Malaysiakini report last week.
“While FSC’s investigation did indeed...
Summary
Samling denies illegal logging claims, saying the Forest Stewardship Council found only potential violations.
FSC found evidence of illegal logging near one of Samling’s concessions in Sarawak.
Samling asserts that its operations are certified under other schemes (MTCS and PEFC) and that a Malaysiakini article inaccurately suggested the FSC confirmed violations.
Samling today denied that a global certification body has found it guilty of illegal logging and destruction of high conservation value (HCV) forests in Sarawak.
According to the timber giant, investigation findings released by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) were not conclusive and only found potential violations by the company, as opposed to a Malaysiakini report last week.
“While FSC’s investigation did indeed find potential violations, the FSC Decision Panel did not conclusively determine that Samling was directly responsible for illegal logging or HCV destruction.
“The FSC Decision Panel acknowledged that satellite imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis identified areas of concern, but concluded that these findings were insufficient to definitively attribute illegal activities to Samling.
“Furthermore, the panel recommended further investigation through an independent assessment to evaluate the scale and impact of the violations, which the article fails to acknowledge,” read a letter signed by Samling Group sustainability and communications head Melissa Yeoh.
Adding further, she said the article published on May 9 had also incorrectly implied that FSC found Samling’s operations to be in direct violation of certification standards.
“This misrepresentation may lead to confusion, as Samling’s operations are fully certified under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards, which are separate from FSC’s scope,” Yeoh said.
Samling’s letter came in response to a Malaysiakini report titled “Satellite evidence shows Samling illegally harvesting timber: Non-profit”.
The article contained statements that were misattributed and has been corrected.
According to FSC’s original statement dated April 25, the non-profit organisation told Samling to verify and address potential social and environmental harms caused by its logging operations in Sarawak.
This followed findings it made during an investigation into a complaint lodged by a coalition of environmental NGOs in 2022.
FSC said that while it could not confirm the full extent of the complainant’s allegations, it did find illegal logging and destruction of high conservation value (HCV) areas in a national park adjacent to one of Samling’s concessions in Sarawak.
In particular, it said there was “clear and convincing evidence” of such activities in an area in the Usun Apau National Park in Sarawak.
A GIS analysis, which FSC commissioned after Samling terminated its FSC certification in April 2024, also indicated “the possibility of further risks of HCVs destruction and conversion” at forests where Samling has timber concessions.
