Tesco has been forced on to the defensive amid claims that a supplier of paper products is involved in illegal logging in the Indonesian rainforest.

Asia Pulp & Paper, which makes around 80 paper-based products for Tesco, was accused by The Times of felling thousands of tonnes of rainforest a week.

A spokesman for Tesco said the supermarket had decided last year to switch its supplier and would cease to sell products using APP materials by the end of 2010.

Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer have both ended commitments with the supplier, whose sustainable certification was revoked in 2007 by the Forest Stewardship Council.

“We have been looking for an exit route for some time but it takes a long time to sign up new suppliers,” Tesco said.

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