IKEA putting Europe’s Last Wilderness at risk
Bucharest, 9 September 2025 - Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe today released its new investigation report.
Felling the Future: IKEA’s Sourcing Threatens Romania’s Irreplaceable Forests was launched with a projection in front of an IKEA store in Bucharest yesterday evening. The report exposes IKEA’s link to the ongoing destruction of some of Europe’s most precious forests in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Scientists warn that these rare forests are on the brink and require urgent, permanent protection.
"We have evidence that shows that IKEA is deliberately ignoring warnings to stay out of precious forests that should be protected. Its suppliers are sourcing wood from Europe’s richest wildlife habitats, including one of the last ancient forests of the Carpathians," said Robert Cyglicki, Head of Biodiversity at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe. "This starkly contradicts the company’s claims of responsible forest management, sustainable sourcing, and commitment to protect biodiversity."
In 2024, Greenpeace CEE exposed IKEA manufacturers sourcing from precious forests and shared a map of No-Logging Areas with the company. IKEA defended sourcing from some areas, arguing that past human disturbance disqualified these forests from strict protection. European conservation guidance, however, shows that even previously impacted forests can maintain extraordinary biodiversity if ecological continuity is preserved. The report notes that IKEA promotes its sustainable image through Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification; however, the Romanian FSC standard has not been revised since 2017 and does not integrate EU biodiversity target on 10% strict protection - meaning it adds little value to the true protection of forests in light of the latest conservation science.
In this year’s report, Greenpeace CEE combined satellite imagery and field investigations, and documented a staggering loss of nearly 59 square kilometres of precious High Biodiversity Value Forests or Potential in 2024 alone - an area larger than 8,200 football pitches.
"Analysis of last year’s canopy loss revealed a disturbing trend: forests proposed for strict protection had already been logged before politicians could decide their status under the EU Biodiversity Strategy," explained Monika Hoffmann, PhD, Nature Conservation Specialist with the Polish Academy of Sciences.
According to the investigation, High Biodiversity Value Forest loss in Romania is occurring 2.5 times faster than in neighbouring countries such as Poland and Ukraine. The report also provides evidence linking IKEA suppliers to the destruction of Rusca Montană Forest, one of Romania’s last remaining ancient forest ecosystems. When asked to comment, IKEA did not deny sourcing from the forest.
While such logging may be legal under Romanian law, it is not sustainable. European conservation science and policy clearly indicate a need for strict protection of such forests under the EU Biodiversity Strategy. Sourcing wood from these areas drives irreversible biodiversity loss and contributes to the severe effects of climate change.
"IKEA faces a choice: protect these irreplaceable forests or be complicit in their destruction. If IKEA truly wants to honour its commitment to responsibly sourcing, it must go beyond legal compliance and safeguard what cannot be replaced. After all, no one would ever tear apart the pyramids of Egypt just to reuse the stones - yet that’s exactly what is happening to our natural heritage. These forests are priceless." added Cyglicki.
Greenpeace CEE calls on IKEA to immediately stop sourcing wood from No-Logging Areas, including High Biodiversity Value Forests, and to review and strengthen its sourcing policies to ensure strict protection of ancient and other precious forests, even where the law doesn’t require it. Continued inaction risks making IKEA complicit in the destruction of one of Europe’s last wildernesses, a unique and irreplaceable forest ecosystem that also plays a vital role in climate stabilisation.
High Biodiversity Value Forests (HBVFs) are forests of exceptional importance for biodiversity, climate, and ecosystem services. Greenpeace’s latest map of High Biodiversity Value Forests or Potential in the Carpathians combines 2023 satellite imagery with scientific datasets, expert reviews, and field checks to provide the most up-to-date picture of vulnerable forests outside national parks on a large scale. These forests include old forests with structural complexity, deadwood, and ancient trees - even if past human use occurred - together with late-successional old forests under low human pressure, restoration forests with strong potential to regain primary forest values, and steep forested slopes essential for soil and water regulation.
High Biodiversity Value Forests (HBVFs) in Romania are identified by scientists and NGOs based on ecological criteria, but they are not yet a formal legal category in Romania. The government is still in the process of designating 10% land for strict protection to meet the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 target. Until this process is complete, logging in HBVFs remains legal, despite European conservation science clearly showing they should be protected before they are irreversibly lost.
Greenpeace’s No-Logging Areas are based on the best available science, satellite data, and expert fieldwork identifying forests of exceptional biodiversity value. These areas include old-growth, restoration, and steep-slope forests that play a crucial role in regulating water, storing carbon, and hosting rare species. EU conservation guidance already recognises their value and calls for strict protection, but legal designation in Romania is still pending. IKEA presents itself as a sustainability leader, so Greenpeace expects it to act on science and precaution - not wait for delayed legislation - by avoiding wood from these irreplaceable forests.
IKEA refuses to follow the precautionary map voluntarily, arguing that Romanian authorities have not authorised it, and disputes the value of the forests it sources from. According to IKEA, these forests are not eligible for protection under FSC or Romanian law because some wood was harvested there in the past. Yet European conservation science shows that even previously logged forests can retain extraordinary biodiversity. Dismissing them as “compromised” fuels a destructive cycle - once excluded from protection, they are logged again and never recover. This not only threatens irreplaceable biodiversity but also normalises the exploitation of Europe’s last great wilderness at the very moment when EU policy calls for its protection and restoration.
No. The logging linked to IKEA’s supply chain is technically legal under Romanian law. However, legality does not equal sustainability. The logging is taking place in forests of exceptional biodiversity value that European science and EU policy recognise should be strictly protected.
IKEA points to FSC certification as proof of sustainable sourcing, but the Romanian FSC standard has not been updated since 2017. It does not reflect the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s targets for 2030, including the strict protection of at least 10% of land. This means FSC certification cannot guarantee real protection for Romania’s most valuable forests.