By Claire Reilly
Harvey Norman is facing a PR crisis on its very own shop floors as environmental activists wage a guerrilla-style campaign on the retailer to protest the company's use of timber in furniture products.
Environmental action group The Last Stand is calling on consumers to hang mock tags on furniture products in Harvey Norman stores, leading retail customers to a video condemning Harvey Norman’s timber-sourcing practices.
The tags are made to mimic traditional point of sale materials, with the company logo and a QR code that customers can scan to supposedly “find out how you can win”. However, the QR code redirects the scanner’s smartphone to a video that shows images of cleared forests, accompanied by the sound of chainsaws and the tagline, “This is where Australian native forest furniture comes from”.
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The Last Stand has information on the campaign on its website, including details on how other activists can get involved. A downloadable “Action Pack” is also available, with templates of the false tags and instructions on how to find nearby Harvey Norman stores to distribute them.
The action group also has a series of photographs on its website, showing activists distributing the tags in-store.
The campaign is not the first time that Harvey Norman has been targeted by activists. Earlier in the year, the independent organisation Get Up! ran a video slamming Harveys’ environmental track record whilst also harpooning the company’s well-known television commercial-style.
Harvey Norman was not available for comment when contacted by Current.com.au.
A template of the fake tag, provided on The Last Stand's website.
The action group has uploaded images of activists positioning the tags in-store.