GREENPEACE LAUNCHES NEW LAPEYRE CATALOGUE OF ANCIENT FOREST DESTRUCTION

17 May 2000

PARIS -- Greenpeace today intensified its campaign to put an end to Lapeyre's role in ancient forest destruction. The executive director of Greenpeace France, Bruno Rebelle, is present at the annual shareholders meeting of the French home improvement company. Mr. Rebelle will question Lapeyre's board members about the company's part in destroying the Amazon forest as well as its overall timber purchasing policies from destructive logging operations in ancient forest regions. Concurrently, outside the meeting venue, Greenpeace activists distributed a new version of the Lapeyre Catalogue showing shareholders which products are destroying the ancient forests. Greenpeace has also set up a parallel website for Lapeyre: www.lapeyre.org/destruction.

"Lapeyre must urgently change its policy regarding Amazon timber or suffer the consequences of a changing market," said Phil Aikman, a Greenpeace International Amazon Campaigner. "Buyers of timber and timber products are now demanding to know that they do not contribute to the destruction of the world's remaining ancient forests. Lapeyre is gambling with its shareholders by continuing to ignore the effects of its poor purchasing policies on its business."

The joinery company manufactures timber doors, windows, staircases and flooring for sale in retail stores across Europe. The company owns 114 outlets in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and the French Caribbean and is also the owner of Eldorado, a major timber-export company located in Para State in the Brazilian Amazon. Greenpeace research revealed that almost half of the companies supplying timber to Eldorado in 1998-99 were fined by the Brazilian government for the illegal exploitation, transport and storage of timber. Some companies were not even registered with IBAMA, the Brazilian environmental agency. Lapeyre is one of the largest consumers of Amazon wood in Europe. Besides the full selection of Amazon timber products, Greenpeace found a wide range of products coming from the ancient forests of the Congo Basin, Southeast Asia and British Columbia.

Recently, Greenpeace denounced Lapeyre's role in the destruction of the Amazon forest by attaching stickers to a number of window frames, doors and stairs to warn customers that buying these products contributes to the destruction of the Amazon forest. As a reaction to the information provided by Greenpeace - the company made a vague response that they would study the information about the illegal activities of Lapeyre's timber suppliers. So far, Lapeyre has made no commitment at all to stop buying timber from illegal sources nor have they shown any intention to stop buying timber from regions where the logging industry is destroying the last remaining ancient forests.

Greenpeace urges Lapeyre to stop all trade with logging companies and timber traders involved in illegal and destructive activities. Lapeyre must gradually phase out all timber that comes from ancient forest destruction. The use of timber from ancient forest regions is only acceptable if suppliers can prove via independent certification such as FSC that the timber does not come from ancient forest destruction.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Gina Sanchez, Greenpeace International, +31 6 53128907
- Phil Aikman, Greenpeace International Amazon campaigner, +32 496 161586

Photos and video available through Gina Sanchez.

Lapeyre's 'alternative' website can be viewed here:
www.lapeyre.org/destruction