0:00:03 > 0:00:05Tonight, Panorama is on the timber trail,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08following hardwood logs from the floor of the African
0:00:08 > 0:00:13rainforest to the shop floors across Europe, including the UK.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17If we find any material that's coming into our yard is illegal,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20then obviously it will be taken off sale.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We're testing the promise that the timber
0:00:22 > 0:00:25we buy is legally sourced.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: We say to those who buy the wood, that they
0:00:29 > 0:00:33should think about the forest where it comes from.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36It's a lucrative trade from the jungle to the checkout,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39beginning with the loggers who risk their lives
0:00:39 > 0:00:45cutting down 100-year-old trees for just £2.50 a day.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49We should be really careful about clearing those incredibly valuable
0:00:49 > 0:00:54forests to put into everyday products like plywood.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58'New regulations are enforced to stop illegal timber entering
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'the European market, but not everyone appears to be doing
0:01:02 > 0:01:04'enough to make sure they're complying with the law.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:07He's getting into his car. I wanted to ask you some questions
0:01:07 > 0:01:10about the wood you brought in. Should you have done more?
0:01:26 > 0:01:30The wood industry is worth billions to the British economy.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Look around - wood is everywhere.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40We sit on it, we walk on it, eat on it and DIY with it.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48This is sustainable plywood, but our desire for some tropical wood
0:01:48 > 0:01:53is helping to drive an illicit trade for tropical timber.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04The internationally-accepted definition of illegal logging
0:02:04 > 0:02:07is the harvesting and processing of timber in a way that breaks
0:02:07 > 0:02:10the law in the country of origin.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And there are some huge multinational logging companies
0:02:14 > 0:02:17on the wrong side of it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20The problem with illegal logging is it leads to a lot of conflict,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23corruption, criminal and illegal behaviour,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25but also governments are losing out
0:02:25 > 0:02:26on huge amounts of revenue,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and I think this is what we've got
0:02:28 > 0:02:29to understand - this is
0:02:29 > 0:02:33a multi-billion-dollar industry which is having a huge impact.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38With the forest home to some of the world's most endangered species,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42law makers, timber associations and environmentalists
0:02:42 > 0:02:46have been trying to clean up the wood industry for years -
0:02:46 > 0:02:48most recently in March,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52with the implementation of the new European Timber Regulation.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The aim is to ensure wood products are traceable
0:02:55 > 0:02:58from the forest to the High Street.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02It's going to be much more difficult for illegal loggers to enter
0:03:02 > 0:03:06into the European Union because the operator has
0:03:06 > 0:03:08to demonstrate the legality
0:03:08 > 0:03:11of the timber products that he is importing.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25La Rochelle - an idyllic town on France's Atlantic coast.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Its tranquil marina
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and pretty cafes make it a popular holiday destination.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35But I'm here because La Rochelle is also a major
0:03:35 > 0:03:38European gateway for West African logs.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43It's the destination for a ship that I've been tracking carrying
0:03:43 > 0:03:47wood from a country where illegal logging is rife.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50HORN HONKS
0:03:54 > 0:03:55In mid-March,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59the ship set sail from Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo.
0:04:02 > 0:04:08Last year, it exported an estimated 180,000 logs,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10with one in ten going to Europe.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13There are hundreds and hundreds of logs around me.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17This is the start of the journey of the logs from the Republic
0:04:17 > 0:04:19of Congo that travel to Europe.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The question is, what are illegal and what are not illegal?
0:04:24 > 0:04:29The rainforests here are the new frontier for international logging.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Over 30 companies have permits to operate,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36but only a handful are certified and audited to a standard that
0:04:36 > 0:04:39would allow them easy access to the European market.
0:04:41 > 0:04:47Half of the companies operating in the Republic of Congo today
0:04:47 > 0:04:52do not entirely meet and do not meet the complete definition of legality.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Which leaves little doubt the Republic of Congo is a high-risk
0:04:58 > 0:05:00country from which to import wood.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08So what does this mean for the wood on the ship I've been tracking,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10docking in the dead of night in France?
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It's the early hours of the morning, it's finally docked,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and I'm now going to go and have a look at the trees on the vessel.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The cranes are moving, that's for sure.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27The logs on board will be some of the first to land
0:05:27 > 0:05:30since the new timber regulations came into force.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35This high-risk shipment will test that promise to European consumers
0:05:35 > 0:05:39that the timber we buy is guaranteed legally harvested.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I've just been looking at the logs being offloaded
0:05:45 > 0:05:49direct from Pointe-Noire, logged from a company we've been
0:05:49 > 0:05:54told about that has systematically broken forestry laws.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57'And as dawn breaks,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'the log markings confirm who that company is.'
0:06:01 > 0:06:04This is one of the logs that was taken off of that ship
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and it has the marking T-I-L.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'The markings stand for Taman Industries Ltd.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:21Taman is a major timber exporter from here, the Republic of Congo.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26It's named on permits to cut trees in two zones,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29covering an area three times the size of London.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35With such a presence, Taman's wood isn't hard to find.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Like all companies, it has to mark each log with the zone it was
0:06:39 > 0:06:42felled in and a unique cut number.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The markings allow government checkpoints to monitor the movement
0:06:46 > 0:06:50of trees and count them in order to help calculate felling taxes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56At dusk, I followed some Taman logs on a suspicious journey
0:06:56 > 0:06:59heading in the direction of Pointe-Noire.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Under Congolese forestry laws,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07it's illegal to transport logs at night, but as you can clearly see,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11this truck is transporting logs in the dead of night.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16And the reason it's illegal, when the sun sets, government
0:07:16 > 0:07:21checkpoints are unmanned, allowing the unregulated movement of timber.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: We don't have enough staff who could
0:07:27 > 0:07:31invest the time across all 12 million hectares of the forest
0:07:31 > 0:07:35to supervise everyone on a daily basis.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40We lack more vigorous monitoring and inspection tours
0:07:40 > 0:07:43for preventing companies slipping through the net.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52So with not enough boots on the ground to police the forest,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54what exactly is going on there?
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The markings on the Taman logs I saw land in La Rochelle show
0:07:59 > 0:08:03they're Okoume tropical hardwood trees.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05They also reveal which of Taman's
0:08:05 > 0:08:07two forest zones they were cut from.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The markings show they came from a region called Banda Nord,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20deep in the vast forest of the Congo basin.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23It's the second-largest tropical rainforest on earth
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and the lungs of Africa.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30It's where the tropical timber supply chain begins.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Banda Nord is so remote, we were told no journalists have been there.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44I'm just now approaching the Banda Nord tropical forest
0:08:44 > 0:08:47concession belonging to Taman.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52There seems to be a small checkpoint, but nobody's there.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00We drove in on an avenue bulldozed through the forest, authorised
0:09:00 > 0:09:02so Taman can remove the trees.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08And we soon came across the stumps left behind by Taman's logging.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Oh, yes, scratched in.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Yes, I can just see that. T-I-L.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22'My guide is Ibassa, who promotes the environment
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'and the rights of people living in the forest.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'He showed me the impacts of Taman's logging.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- Deforestation.- Yes.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46'Taman says it undertakes selective logging,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49'only cutting the trees of value.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54'I met a Taman worker who wanted to tell me just what that means.'
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Bonjour, monsieur. 'We've protected his identity.'
0:09:58 > 0:10:03TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: Taman has destroyed the forest.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07When you find a tree you want, even if it's two or ten kilometres,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09you need a road for the bulldozers.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13The trees that are not under consideration there,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15they ravage everything.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18They cut them down to make a road to fetch the trees that they need.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20That's how it works.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Our desire for tropical wood drives the exploitation of the Congo
0:10:27 > 0:10:32rainforest, and government laws are having to play catch-up.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37Over the last two years, Taman has been fined over £100,000 for
0:10:37 > 0:10:42offences including cutting too many trees and attempted tax avoidance.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Taman is symptomatic of an industry in a hurry.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53The forestry companies that are exploiting the South do not
0:10:53 > 0:10:56respect the law and regulations of our country.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58There is no planning,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and the forests are managed chaotically and illegally.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08The Congo's rainforests are the new frontline for the tropical
0:11:08 > 0:11:10timber industry.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The fear among environmentalists is that history is about to
0:11:13 > 0:11:15repeat itself.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Big multinational corporations are moving into the Congo Basin.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22If what has happened in places like Indonesia -
0:11:22 > 0:11:26where you see the massive amounts of deforestation and destruction - if
0:11:26 > 0:11:31you now transpose that to the Congo Basin, where you still have stunning
0:11:31 > 0:11:33rainforest, and you think these
0:11:33 > 0:11:35companies are now just going to
0:11:35 > 0:11:36start destroying those rainforests,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39this would be an absolute tragedy.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Large swathes of the forest are now lying in the dock.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Last year, so many logs were shipped abroad that the
0:11:47 > 0:11:51government stepped in and imposed an export ban.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54It affected 13 companies that had topped their annual
0:11:54 > 0:11:57quota in just five months.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The ban prevented the export of logs from Taman's
0:12:00 > 0:12:02second cutting zone.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09But soon after, logs coming out of the unrestricted zone of Banda Nord
0:12:09 > 0:12:14were found with altered markings - the zone of origin had been changed.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Taman said it was a mistake due to human error and paid a small fine.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23For the last seven years,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26the logging industry has been watched over by a team
0:12:26 > 0:12:30of expert investigators - the Independent Forest Monitors.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- Hello. Nice to meet you. - It's a pleasure.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'Funded by the UK and EU, they work with the government to monitor
0:12:40 > 0:12:46'the loggers and expose companies suspected of breaking forestry laws.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'They investigated Taman during the export ban.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:53We arrived to the conclusion
0:12:53 > 0:12:56that there is a problem.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Based on the sheer volumes that were coming out of Banda Nord,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04we thought, "Hmm, this doesn't seem right.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07"It doesn't seem to be possible for them to be cutting that many trees."
0:13:07 > 0:13:09We suspected they were...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11'They found timber harvested from Banda Nord had
0:13:11 > 0:13:14'increased by nearly 500%.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'It was an impossible rate of output.'
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Markings were changed.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24'And they concluded the change was no mistake.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:27They wanted to make it seem like these logs were cut here
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- and not here.- To get around the ban?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34To get around the ban on the log exportation, yes.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Their investigation concluded Taman was using the Banda Nord
0:13:39 > 0:13:41concession fraudulently,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44as a front through which they illegally exported thousands
0:13:44 > 0:13:49of logs which would otherwise have been part of the export ban.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52That would make it one of the biggest recorded scams
0:13:52 > 0:13:55in Congolese forest history.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58I showed the monitors pictures of the logs we'd tracked to
0:13:58 > 0:14:03La Rochelle in France to see if they bore the hallmarks of the scam.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09- There has been some falsification of the numbers...- The zone numbers.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12The paint looks a little awkward -
0:14:12 > 0:14:14where it could be changed from a 3 to a 2.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And that is exactly what we found during our investigations.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Looking just at the picture,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24we highly suspect that they have
0:14:24 > 0:14:27been illegally exported.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- You would say they've been exported illegally?- Yes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34'The Independent Forest Monitor's latest report recommended
0:14:34 > 0:14:38'the Congolese government suspend Taman's licence to export
0:14:38 > 0:14:44'logs for systematic fraud, forgery and falsification.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48'Time to talk to Taman.'
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I'm about to enter their mill just outside of Pointe-Noire,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56where I'm hoping to meet their deputy director.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'With a mill the size of a small village,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'they weren't exactly hard to find.'
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Very nice offices. Only the finest wood.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Tommy Lee? Hi, Tommy Lee.
0:15:15 > 0:15:21- My name is Raphael Rowe, I'm from BBC Panorama, television.- OK.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26There have been a number of reports by an independent monitor...
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'I wanted to ask Taman about our logs
0:15:29 > 0:15:32'and how they operate in the Republic of Congo.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'But Tommy Lee, the deputy director of Taman's operations, asked us
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'to turn the camera off.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Sure.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'But they were happy to take me around one of their warehouses
0:15:52 > 0:15:56'packed with processed timber awaiting export.'
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- So all of this in here, Okoume?- Yes. - That's a lot of Okoume.- Yes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10'We asked Taman about the changed markings
0:16:10 > 0:16:14'and whether the La Rochelle logs were part of a scam.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17'They agreed our markings appeared to be changed
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'and promised to get back to us with further details.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24'We're still waiting. However, they did tell us...'
0:16:28 > 0:16:32"The exports are handled by a branch of the ministry of forests."
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'Nevertheless, the forest monitors are concerned that
0:16:42 > 0:16:46'the scale of Taman's illegality didn't trigger an investigation
0:16:46 > 0:16:52'into the La Rochelle logs by the European authorities and importers.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I think that enough information was out there to raise enough
0:16:55 > 0:17:01doubt that, at the very, very least, more in-depth investigation
0:17:01 > 0:17:06should have been done by the importer to assess the risk.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12'So who was the importer of the La Rochelle logs?
0:17:12 > 0:17:15'Under the new laws, it's their responsibility to ensure
0:17:15 > 0:17:19'the timber has been sourced and imported legally.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'Back in France, I decided to track him down.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27'Edwood is one of La Rochelle's biggest importers and is
0:17:27 > 0:17:33'managed by Fabrice Gautier from a small office close to the port.'
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Hi, I'm looking for Fabrice. Are you Fabrice Gautier?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40'We had contacted him a number of times,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42'but many questions remained unanswered.'
0:17:42 > 0:17:44He's just getting into his car...
0:17:44 > 0:17:47'So I paid him a visit.'
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Mr Fabrice? Fabrice Gautier?
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I wanted to ask you some questions about the wood you brought in
0:17:54 > 0:17:57from Taman. And the due diligence that you did or didn't do.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Do you not think you should have done more due diligence?
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'We asked Taman what checks Fabrice Gautier
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'had made about the logs they supplied.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10'They told us he was given proof of their licences to cut
0:18:10 > 0:18:13'and export timber.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16'But under the new regulations, he should have done much more.'
0:18:17 > 0:18:23Under the new EU timber regulations, the import of this timber into France
0:18:23 > 0:18:25should have raised a red flag.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27This is at the very highest risk
0:18:27 > 0:18:29of what these timber regulations
0:18:29 > 0:18:31are about, and the operator who
0:18:31 > 0:18:35was importing the timber should have been held to account.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38The French timber industry is a major importer of tropical wood
0:18:38 > 0:18:39in Europe.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41The French connection is believed to have
0:18:41 > 0:18:46brought in thousands of illegal logs in 2011.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But the government have not yet fully enforced
0:18:49 > 0:18:51the timber regulations.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54It's a huge breakdown in the governance of a system that's
0:18:54 > 0:18:56only as strong as its weakest link.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01It's absolutely urgent that France does set up a proper body
0:19:01 > 0:19:05to deal with it, because if France or if other countries don't
0:19:05 > 0:19:06participate properly
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and effectively in the European Timber Regulation, then, of course,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13it will weaken it and it won't work in the way that it was set up to do.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20'But what about the ambition behind the new regulations -
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'to end corruption and exploitation
0:19:22 > 0:19:26'and create a sustainable rainforest-logging industry?'
0:19:28 > 0:19:30COCKEREL CROWS
0:19:32 > 0:19:35'Logging gangs work from remote camps in the forest.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38'In the Taman camps,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43'we found scores of tiny huts no bigger than a garden shed.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45'Congolese families live here
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'without proper sanitation or schools.'
0:19:49 > 0:19:53TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: Taman treats us badly.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54Here is the only company.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57It's the only means of earning a living.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00We were obliged to do this, as we have children.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03And the risks that we take? It's not easy in the forest.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07There is no equipment, there are no boots, waterproof jackets,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10there is no medication - nothing.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13We are marginalised by the company, we have nothing.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'Our logger was Congolese, but Taman also bring in Malaysian workers.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26'They live in another part of the camp that holds a dirty secret.'
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Ah.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32In this hole, I can see bits of machinery, plastic,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36car batteries, metal - you name it, it's in this pit,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39including gallons and gallons of oil.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44The environmental damage being caused by logging companies
0:20:44 > 0:20:48in tropical forests goes beyond just the chopping of trees.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54'Taman says it pays the minimum wage and will investigate the pollution.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'It says the logging gangs are subcontractors
0:20:57 > 0:20:58'and responsible for
0:20:58 > 0:21:01'their own safety equipment and working conditions.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:06It's difficult to believe that, once the logging company have
0:21:06 > 0:21:08finished what they're doing here,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and they've moved on to the next bit of forest that they're going
0:21:11 > 0:21:14to log, that this will ever be a forest again.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'Concessions like Banda Nord are so remote,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23'the true picture of what happens in the forest stays in the forest.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28'It's why Ibassa wants to see more of the rainforest certified
0:21:28 > 0:21:31'and managed to European standards.'
0:21:31 > 0:21:35TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH: If the forest is exploited
0:21:35 > 0:21:38without rules, without good practices,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41if they carry on chopping as they
0:21:41 > 0:21:43are doing without supervision,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46it's a serious problem.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The forest heritage is a resource that, if we're not careful,
0:21:50 > 0:21:51could be exhausted.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'The Okoume rainforest trees are very profitable.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02'It's estimated that, locally, they're valued at £300 each, but
0:22:02 > 0:22:06'by the time they reach the dock in Europe, they're worth over 1,000.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14'And it wasn't long after the ship we tracked for two weeks had docked
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'that we saw its cargo of Taman's logs on the move.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22'They've been sold and picked up by new owners.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26'We followed them for days as they travelled cross-country.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:34And this is where the Taman logs, imported by Edwood, have ended up -
0:22:34 > 0:22:37this processing mill, ETS Burguet in rural France.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43'By the time Burguet have finished with these hardwood logs,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47'they won't be grand furniture or exotic kitchen work surfaces.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50'They will be sliced, peeled and glued with other wood
0:22:50 > 0:22:53'into sheets of high-quality marine plywood.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56'Under the new law,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01'manufacturers like Burguet don't need to check their word is legal -
0:23:01 > 0:23:03'that's the importer's job.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06'However, there is a requirement to keep records of suppliers
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'and buyers.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11'The company initially told us
0:23:11 > 0:23:16'they did not supply Okoume marine plywood to the UK.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19'We later discovered that was wrong.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'Company owner Jean-Pascal Burguet
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'was not pleased to see us filming outside his mill.'
0:23:32 > 0:23:36I understand that. No, I do understand.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40'After this angry exchange, we decided to leave.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48'Mr Burguet told us Edwood is seeking to retrospectively verify
0:23:48 > 0:23:49'the legality of the logs.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54'He's recently approached a forestry auditing company called
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'Bureau Veritas.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02'Veritas has told Panorama it doesn't currently certify
0:24:02 > 0:24:04'any wood from the Republic of Congo.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15'Meanwhile, the people who live in the rainforest are paying
0:24:15 > 0:24:20'a different price for our desire for tropical hardwood.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27'This is Banda village, where Taman's concession gets its name.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31'So what happened when a huge multinational logging company
0:24:31 > 0:24:32'moved in next door?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36'Papa, one of the village elders,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39'says his people have seen no benefit.'
0:24:39 > 0:24:43TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH: They are just here to ruin the forests
0:24:43 > 0:24:46that our ancestors left us,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48that give us so much.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53We give a lot of riches to Taman.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Taman gives us nothing back, and the state should think about that.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01We say to those who buy the wood that they should
0:25:01 > 0:25:04think about the forest where it comes from.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05They should come and help us.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'We've tracked tropical wood chopped by Taman from the heart
0:25:12 > 0:25:14'of the rainforest,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18'watched it imported to La Rochelle by Edwood, transported
0:25:18 > 0:25:23'through France to Burguet's mill to be processed into plywood.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29'Here in the UK, all the plywood traded is manufactured abroad,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31'and despite Burguet's denial,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35'marine plywood from its mill has found its way onto the UK market.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40'Robbins Timber Merchants, based in Bristol,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43'has sourced some of its marine plywood from Burguet.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45'It's done so in good faith,
0:25:45 > 0:25:50'unaware of any potential illegality in its supply chain.'
0:25:50 > 0:25:53So this is Okoume decking, from Burguet,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58supplied to Robbins Timber Merchants here in Bristol.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03'This Okoume plywood with a teak veneer sells for over £500 a sheet.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'Robbins' website promises a responsible purchasing policy,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12'which means they are committed to buying legal timber.'
0:26:12 > 0:26:17We're naturally concerned that, potentially, there is illegal
0:26:17 > 0:26:20material in the plywood that we buy from Burguet,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and if we find that any material coming into our yard is illegal,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28then obviously it will be taken off sale and returned to the supplier.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'Burguet supplier Edwood was checked out by Robbins,
0:26:31 > 0:26:37'but the company took it on trust Edwood was a responsible importer.'
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Have you ever seen a document to show that
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Edwood are audited by Veritas, or is this just...?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46No, I've just seen a statement to that effect.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47You've seen a statement
0:26:47 > 0:26:50but you've not seen a document that supports that fact?
0:26:50 > 0:26:52No, not to my knowledge.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55There is always an argument that we could have done more investigation,
0:26:55 > 0:27:00but the company that first brings them into the European Union is the
0:27:00 > 0:27:04company that has responsibility for making sure it's legal.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06'Robbins has since told us
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'they received their last Burguet plywood in February and won't
0:27:09 > 0:27:14'take any more unless guaranteed as independently verified.'
0:27:15 > 0:27:19There are many companies that talk about sustainability and how green
0:27:19 > 0:27:23they are, but what we want to see is what a company is actually doing
0:27:23 > 0:27:25in practice, and I think one guarantee
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that you can have of that is,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30for example, to have a certification certificate that comes with
0:27:30 > 0:27:34some kind of guarantee that this is from a legal and sustainable source.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40'There is only one forest company in the Republic of Congo
0:27:40 > 0:27:45'who exports to the UK under the Forest Stewardship Council label -
0:27:45 > 0:27:49'it's the most rigorous guarantee of sustainability
0:27:49 > 0:27:53'and governance of the production process.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57'Elsewhere in the market, the timber industry is a chain of good
0:27:57 > 0:28:00'intentions with very weak links.'
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Until something is done about it,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07thousands of trees will be plundered illegally and exported from ports
0:28:07 > 0:28:11like this, processed into the many wooden products we see in our homes.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Next week, Panorama investigates
0:28:19 > 0:28:21the online dating industry,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23worth millions of pounds a year,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27and uncovers the unscrupulous preying on those looking for love.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd