Environmental Investigation Agency

Environmental Investigation Agency We investigate and campaign against environmental crime and abuses

What does a $200,000 fine for illegal teak on luxury yachts say about the true cost of forest crime? When penalties are ...
09/10/2026

What does a $200,000 fine for illegal teak on luxury yachts say about the true cost of forest crime?

When penalties are small, companies can absorb them as a cost of doing business, with little consequence for their overall profit margins.

The case luxury yacht builder Sunseeker illustrates the problem. In August 2026, a US court confirmed the terms of a May 2026 plea deal after Sunseeker International Ltd and Sunseeker USA Sales Co Inc pleaded guilty to two Lacey Act violations for using illegal Burmese teak on two multi-million-dollar yachts imported into the US.

The companies received a sentence which included a $200,000 fine, up to five years’ probation and a compliance plan.

According to US prosecutors, the teak used in the imported yachts had an approximate total value of $20,400. However, the two yachts alone had a combined value of more than $4 million, meaning the fine paid by Sunseeker was just five per cent of the total value of these yachts.

Read today’s blog: link in comments ⬇️

06/10/2026

🏃‍♂️ Everyone runs for a reason. Whether it’s chasing a personal best, ticking off a bucket list item, or making a fresh start, every runner on that starting line is driven by something personal.

🌍 Why not run for the planet?

By joining Team EIA, you can run for a vital cause, raising crucial funds and spreading awareness to support our work protecting the planet from environmental crime and exploitation.

📍 Key event information:
🔵Event: Bath Half Marathon
🔵Date: Sunday 14 March 2027
🔵Start line: Royal Victoria Park, Bath
🔵Distance: 13.1 miles
🔵Terrain: Road (fast and flat)
🔵Fundraising target: £300

🎁 What you’ll get as part of Team EIA:

🔵Finishers T-shirt and medal
🔵Timed results and event photography
🔵Free trial with the official training app and tracking app

Run with real purpose and help us get EIA’s name out there to protect our world.

👉 Entries are now open! Sign up to join Team EIA.

Certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) cannot provide assurance that palm oil has been produced ...
05/10/2026

Certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) cannot provide assurance that palm oil has been produced in full compliance with Indonesian law.

For more 20 years, the RSPO – the world’s best-known certification scheme for palm oil, intended to assure consumers that palm oil production does not cause environmental or social harms – has presented certification as a guarantee that palm oil meets environmental, social and legal standards.

It has been more than a decade since EIA has first exposed the repeated failures of the RSPO in 2015’s ‘Who Watches the Watchmen?’ report and today we release our latest analysis ‘Illegally Operated, Officially Certified’.

Despite the RSPO trying to keep up with the times and align with the EU Deforestation Regulation, a fundamental problem remains for the organisation’s credibility – the companies operating illegally can remain certified …

Get the new report and read our blog in full at https://loom.ly/mRK_fls

The 70th International Whaling Commission (IWC70) meeting concluded today (2 October) in Hobart, Australia with progress...
02/10/2026

The 70th International Whaling Commission (IWC70) meeting concluded today (2 October) in Hobart, Australia with progress in many areas but disappointment for efforts to establish a South Atlantic whale sanctuary.

Afterwards, EIA Senior Ocean Adviser Clare Perry said: “The world is a very different place from when the IWC was first established 80 years ago. Whales and other cetaceans are facing countless threats from the interconnected global emergencies of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

“The moratorium on commercial whaling and the IWC’s conservation work are needed more than ever before but both are under threat.”

The second informal Heads of Negotiation meeting – a critical milestone in the steps towards finalising a new Global Pla...
01/10/2026

The second informal Heads of Negotiation meeting – a critical milestone in the steps towards finalising a new Global Plastics Treaty – has now ended in Bangkok.

While countries rallied around ambitious statements at the closing session, a familiar pattern of repeating established, and often divergent, opinions still persists.

Reflecting on the discussions, EIA Senior Lawyer Tim Grabiel said:

“Without a major shift in red lines from the blockers, ambitious countries will need to consider going it alone.

“Where the old multilateralism fails, a new multilateralism can succeed, but it will take leadership and political courage. This negotiation can serve as an inflection point for the “middle powers”.

For decades, the UN's State of the World's Forests report has tracked the health of the world's forests, every two years...
29/09/2026

For decades, the UN's State of the World's Forests report has tracked the health of the world's forests, every two years.

The latest edition released today (https://loom.ly/eFFy3E8) carries a clear warning - the window for restoring forests is narrowing.

Forests cover a third of the Earth's land surface, store 714 gigatonnes of carbon and harbour up to 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity.

Yet they are increasingly threatened by drought and fire, alongside continued pressure from agricultural expansion, resource extraction and climate change.

Protecting and restoring forests is essential. Restoration can revive degraded landscapes, supporting and rebuilding communities, strengthening climate resilience, biodiversity, food security and livelihoods.

The response, however, must go beyond restoration alone. Governments must better protect natural old-growth forests, uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have long been the most effective stewards of forests and introduce binding due diligence laws to ensure the food, timber and minerals we consume are not driving forest destruction.

The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to restore degraded forests as climate impacts, fires and continued forest loss erode nature's ability to recover.

The time to act is now. 🌳

Imagine finding out you've won a cash prize... and knowing you've helped protect the natural world at the same time.That...
29/09/2026

Imagine finding out you've won a cash prize... and knowing you've helped protect the natural world at the same time.

That's the beauty of EIA's Win for Nature Lottery.

For just £1 per entry, per week, you can support impactful environmental action while being in with a chance of winning.

Please gamble responsibly. The Win for Nature Lottery is open to people aged 18+ living in Great Britain.

A UK Government assessment put into stark terms something environmental organisations have warned about for years – the ...
28/09/2026

A UK Government assessment put into stark terms something environmental organisations have warned about for years – the destruction of nature is no longer simply an environmental issue but also poses a threat to national security.

The assessment examined how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect Britain’s security, resilience and prosperity.

Its conclusions are sobering. Environmental degradation can disrupt food and water supplies, health and global supply chains, while contributing to geopolitical instability.

This should change how we think about nature …

Read our special blog now.

security

27/09/2026

What role does corruption play in environmental crime?

From wildlife trafficking and forest crime to pollution offences, corruption often enables criminal networks to operate across borders, evade enforcement and profit from environmental harm.

In our latest podcast, EIA's Justin Gosling explains why corruption is one of the most persistent drivers of environmental crime and how bribery, fraud and abuse of official processes can facilitate illegal activity.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast - https://loom.ly/-gWlqYw

26/09/2026

"There's still a lot left that's worth fighting for." - Dr Jane Goodall

These words on screen are the words of the great, late Dr Jane Goodall.

Whales play a vital role in keeping our oceans healthy, yet commercial whaling continues to threaten their survival. We cannot allow apathy to win when our ocean ecosystems are on the line.

Be a steward for our planet. Add your voice to the global call to end commercial whaling once and for all.

🌊 Sign the petition: endcommercialwhaling.org

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