One week after Rainforest Relief's Nyatoh Day of Action in 2005 and two years of letters and postcards, Crate & Barrel became fhe first company to announce an end to the sales of furniture made from nyatoh, a wood logged from the rainforests of Indonesia.

This was a substantial move, as C&B stated an intention to work with Tropical Forest Trust to find more environmentally sound alternatives.

This month, Crate & Barrel's Spring catalog hit the 'streets' and revealed some major changes. Crate & Barrel should be applauded for their complete phase-out of wooden outdoor furniture made from nyatoh. They've replaced this line with a large line of outdoor furniture — The Crate & Barrel Arbor Collection — made from plantation-grown eucalyptus, certified by an organization accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). While Rainforest Relief does not support the certification of logging in old growth rainforests, we do support FSC's certifications in existing plantations. And of course, plantations themselves are not the best solution to wood products but if one is going to buy wood, this is much better than rainforest wood.

Crate & Barrel has taken other positive steps as well, carrying for the first time, indoor furniture made from fast-growing bamboo. While bamboo may not always be the best choice, we see this as a move in the right direction.

The company is also selling a few pieces that utilize "reclaimed" peroba wood, from Brazil. However, in one piece, it also incorporates a solid mahogany frame. However, the Seguro Mirror uses only the peroba.

So, while there are some positive steps, Crate & Barrel is now selling teak outdoor furniture. They claim it is from plantations, however, most teak outdoor furniture is coming from Indonesia, where 80% of logging is being done illegally, according to the Indonesian government, the World Bank, Environmental Investication Agency and Global Forest Watch. Further, these 'plantations' are actually healthy forests that have regrown after the Dutch planted teak over 150 years ago, in the wake of shifting cultivators. Unless the plantation is certified, there's no way to assure that the wood was even legally logged, much less logged in a way that protects the ecology of these two-hundred-year-old second-growth rainforests.

Recycled plastic remains the most environmentally preferable choice for outdoor furniture.

Please contact Crate & Barrel and thank them for taking the steps to eliminate destructive nyatoh and for utilizing bamboo and reclaimed woods. Ask them to end their sales of teak from Indonesia and mahogany, unless they are coming from FSC-certified operations.

For more information or to get involved in this critical campaign, contact us.