Sustainable Timber Action (STA)
STA aims to assist European public authorities in making sure the wood/timber products they buy are produced and traded in a sustainable and fair way.
Public authorities in Europe purchase huge quantities of timber-based products each year, for building and civil construction, office and outdoor furniture, and office paper and stationery - an estimated 15 percent of all timber and paper sold in Europe. Much of this timber is illegally or unsustainably harvested. Furthermore, local communities and smaller forest enterprises often benefit little from such trade.
The Sustainable Timber Action project aims to inform public authorities in Europe about the human and environmental impacts of the timber trade, and how they can contribute by purchasing timber responsibly.
The project will:
- Produce guidance and training for public authorities on how to procure fair and sustainable timber, and carry out pilot procurement actions
- Develop a dual model for timber suppliers on how to integrate fair trade and sustainable forest management certification
