No Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is one of the dominant retail forces in Australia helping to drive the destruction of Aussie forests through its selling of native forest products as furniture and flooring at over 170 stores across the country. Harvey Norman does not have a publicly available procurement policy that rules out selling wood products from Australian native forests, nor a labelling policy that lets Australian shoppers know if they are buying into forest destruction when they purchase products from Harvey Norman.
Harvey Norman, as a matter of urgency, should adopt publicy available procurement policies that ensure they stop contributing to native forest destruction and instead purchase wood products sourced from environmentally responsible managed plantations or recyled timber.
A recent report was released by Markets for Change, documenting the chain of custody and showing that forests in Tasmania, NSW and WA were being logged, shipped to china to be made into furniture and shipped back to Australia to be sold in Harvey Norman stores. Check out the report:
The Australian retail sector needs to take responsibility for the destruction in Australia's native forests that is a direct result of products being sold in these stores. Across Australia forest conservationists are targeting the retail sector to bring about change. This national campaign in bringing together activists from around the country to focus on one company at a time, and force them to stop sourcing native forest products. Harvey Norman are the first target because they are one of the largest retailers in the country. So far there have been several actions targeting Harvey Norman. We need more action around the country, to create enough pressure and get the outcome that Australia's forests so desperately needs.
- Organise an action at your local Harvey Norman store. There are plenty of creative ways to get the message across to Mr Harvey!
- Contact us for information and resources.
- Download the flyer (attached below) and destribute to Harvey Norman customers.
- Watch the you-tube clip, and share it around via facebook and other online sites, to help spread the word.
- Contact Harvey Norman and let them know how you feel about their current practises.
- Click here to watch no-harvey ad.
- Click here to download flyer
- Markets for change website
- noharveyno.net
- Nowra action video
- Melbourne action video
Today a
group of native Tasmanian animals including Tasmanian devils and quolls moved
into the Harvey Norman stores in Hobart.
Eight conservationists from Still Wild Still Threatened
are protesting at the store, calling for Harvey Norman to stop sourcing native
forest products. One protestor dressed as a Swift Parrot has climbed a light
post outside the store, displaying a banner reading “Stop selling native animal
habitat.” Inside the store quolls and a
Tasmanian devil are reclaiming furniture that is made out of their native
habitat.
“These threatened and endangered animals have
been left homeless after their prime habitat areas in Tasmania’s native forests
were destroyed to make furniture for Harvey Norman stores” said Miranda Gibson,
spokesperson from Still Wild Still Threatened. “Endangered species, with the
support of the Tasmanian community, demand Harvey Norman cease selling products
made from their native forest habitat.”
“Surveys by Still Wild Still Threatened have
found evidence of Tasmanian devils and spotted tail quolls in the forests of
the Styx, Tyenna and Counsel. These high conservation value forests are being
ripped apart by industrial scale logging. The wood is then shipped to China to
be made into furniture and shipped back to be sold in stores like Harvey
Norman” said Ms Gibson.
“We are
calling for Harvey Norman to stop using native forest products and change their
procurement policies to only source wood from sustainably managed plantations
or recycled timber” said Ms Gibson.
Activists from the Sydney Forest Defense Crew staged a protest at the Harvey Norman complex in Alexandria, New South Wales. 27-year-old Matthew Rider scaled the building's atrium to suspend a banner labelling Australia's biggest furniture retailer as "Forest Destroyers." The activist also suspended a stero system playing sounds of chainsaw and falling trees through the store. Mr Rider was arrested after four hours and charged by police.
Spokesperson for the group, Vivian Hadlow, said "Many members of the public feel angry about Harvey Norman's role in the continued devastation of our unique and precious forest ecosystems. It seems likely that Harvey Norman will see more protests in the near future unless it changes its timber sourcing policies."
23-07-2011 :Conservationists shut down Harvey Norman outlet in Nowra.
12 conservationists shut down the Harvey Norman store in Nowra, NSW. The company is being targeted for selling products made from native forest timbers. A coaltion of grassroots conservation groups from across Australia have come together to take part in today's action. These groups include South East Forest Rescue, Still Wild Still Threatened, Chip Stop and Friends of Five Forests.
One activist climbed atop a lamp post in the store's carpark and was suspended by cables which were attached to structures blocking acess to the store. The shop was unable to open at the schedualed opening time due to the blockade. The activist was removed from the post by Search and Rescue and charged by police.
"Recent reserach has shown clearly that Harvey Norman are implicated in the industrial scale destruction of irreplaceable forests across Australia" said Miranda Gibson, spokesperson for the coalition. "We are calling on Harvey Norman to stop sourcing timber from native forests, and start using alternatives such as plantation and recycled timber."
"Within kilometers of this furniture store the pristine forests ofs the south east coast are being decimated at an alarming rate. These are prime habitat areas for threatened species, including koalas, yellow-bellow gliders and powerful owls. It's time for retailers to take responsiblity and bring an end to native forest logging in this country" said Lisa Stone from South East Forest Rescue.
26-7-2011: No Harvey No! Forest activists refuse to come down
Forest activist perched high in the trees outside Harvey Norman in Melbourne's QV building in the center of town. The two activists unfurled a giant banner reading "No Harvey No! Stop selling forest destruction." The banner attracted attention from hundreds of Melbourne shoppers. Police and local government officals requested the climbers descend from the trees, but the pair refused to come down despite being threatened with fines.
"The response from the people of Melbourne to today's No Harvey No action has been overwelmingly positive. The community clearly wants to see an end to the ongoing destruction of our native forests. Harvey Norman needs to show some real environmental leadership and immediately stop selling forest destruction the the Australian people" said Ula Majewski, spokesperson for The Last Stand.
