The UK Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has launched a new edition of the Members’ Directory and Buyers’ Guide. It is addressed to all members of the Federation and also circulated to architects, specifiers and local authorities. The guide aims to enhance the use of wood along the whole production and distribution chain. TTF is the official voice of the UK timber trade, representing timber importers, agents and other suppliers and users of wood and wood products.

The Federation covers more than 70 percent of timber used in the UK and 80 percent of its members are SMEs. This year the guide contains all the information required for buyers to make an informed choice, including an outline of the framework of EU regulations, supply solutions for forest products, innovation for customer service, tips for timber importers, a full copy of the Code of Conduct and much more.

TTF plans to expand its work to ensure the timber industry is economically competitive, particularly in the construction industry. To help achieve this the TTF Action Plan was published, developed following consultation with members, supply chains and customers. The Action Plan outlines the main focus of attention and action for the TTF Executive in the coming years and complements this year’s guide.

For more information, click here.

The new German eco-label and certification scheme Holz von Hier (in English: Wood from Here) is a joint initiative of German timber suppliers, supported by the Federal Environmental Trust. The label assures consumers that their timber was produced under sustainable conditions. Other certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) also comply with this standard.

Holz von Hier, however, additionally ensures the timber travelled the shortest possible distance from the producer to the buyer. This reduces carbon emissions from transport and strengthens local and regional value chains. As a general rule Holz von Hier strives to supply timber from locations “as close as possible, as far as necessary”, meaning that even though different timber products travel different distances, procurers can be sure that the timber products they purchase were only shipped as far as absolutely necessary.

Through its innovative activities, Holz von Hier broadens the concept of forest certification towards a local component. At the moment Holz von Hier is only available in Germany but its approach to sustainable timber sets an example for other certification schemes and encourages procurers to buy not only sustainably, but also locally.

For more information, click here.

The Russian Olympic Federation has made the impressive commitment to go green for the 2012 Winter Olympic Games. Taking place in Sochi, on the Russian Black Sea coast, the games will have ‘green standards’ for their green building programme, with FSC playing a major role in overseeing the process.

Russia contains more than one fifth of the world’s forests, and a quarter of the world’s intact primary or old growth forest. The country is home to a total certified area of 29 million hectares, placing Russia second in the world ranking of FSC certified forests, after Canada. However, Russia is also a major exporter of illegal timber into the EU, with 35 m3 of Russian timber entering each year. The Olympic commitment marks an excellent step forward in improving the country’s sustainable timber activities.

The “green standards” specify that FSC certified construction timber, finishing and decorative materials be used, similar to LEED or BREEAM specifications used elsewhere. FSC certified timber will be used for all construction including buildings, transport and energy infrastructure, as well as related nature protection projects in the region. In addition, the organising committee of the games will only use FSC certified paper products, such as office materials, food packaging and printing products.

For more information, click here.

During a negotiation meeting held in the run-up to the Rio+20 conference, the European Union presented a number of proposals which can, according to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), combine the need to protect forest biodiversity across the planet with social needs and a green economy. FSC is calling on stakeholders and other Member States of the UN to support these EU proposals.

The EU proposed to include “credible voluntary forest certification that promote the sustainable management of forests, and that effectively slow, halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation and promote the sustainable use and management of forests as well as their conservation and restoration”, together with “public procurement programmes”, to be included in the Framework of Actions Heads of States and Government, which other government leaders are expected to adopt in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in June.

The EU also introduced the need for “sustainable public procurement” as key tool for promoting green and social economic activities, and it proposed a “capacity development scheme that will provide country-specific advice on legal, economic and other instruments and policies and, where appropriate, region and sector-specific advice to all interested countries and to assist them in accessing available funds”. According to the EU proposal, this voluntary, demand-driven scheme will receive input from the UN system, international financial institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors and the private sector.

For more information, click here.

More than half of UK local authorities still don't have a legal and sustainable timber procurement policy according to a recent report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) into public sector timber. The report, titled Barking up the right tree? Found that only 16 authorities are implementing their policy effectively - despite upcoming legislation to halt the import of illegally sourced wood products.

The UK is currently the third biggest importer of products made from illegal timber in Europe, after Germany and Italy. The public sector, which includes local authorities, is thought to account for as much as 40 percent of all wood products entering the UK market and it's estimated that up to 10 percent of wood products entering the UK from outside Europe comes from illegal sources. The report also found that only half of the 433 local authorities in the country have a sustainable timber procurement plan in place.

Local authorities in Durham, Newcastle and Brighton were amongst those that took steps to improve their rating and scored towards the higher end of the ratings system. In total 16 were given the highest green rating. Beatrix Richards, head of forest policy and trade at WWF-UK, says, “Overall the study shows that the majority of local authorities still have a huge amount of work to do to comply with both the new law coming into force in 2013 and the government’s own procurement policy guidance to ensure they’re not buying illegal and unsustainable timber products.”

For more information, click here.

While developed countries are slowly but surely making progress on enhancing public procurement timber policies, there is still a long way to go in developing countries. Despite the obstacles facing many of these countries, some are forging ahead and can showcase impressive practices.

In Mexico, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has introduced an initiative to incorporate forest certification in the criteria of Timber Public Procurement at federal and state levels. According to the law, all the Federal States have to incorporate environmental sustainability criteria in their choices for the purchase of wood products and paper. In Brazil several states and municipalities have started to include legally sourced wood from managed forests in their requirements.

The Madeira é Legal initiative consolidates multiple actions of different actors in order to encourage and promote the use of legal and certified timber in the State and Municipalities of St. Paul. Participants included more than 300 people interested in learning more about the programme, which relies on the involvement of trade associations, producers and distributors of wood. In Chile the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) and FSC-Chile recently signed a cooperation agreement on forest certification. Through it, CONAF raises the standards of forest management practices and commits to checking the fiscal and rules management.

For more information, click here.

A new World Bank report has revealed that illegal logging in countries such as Indonesia accounts for as much as 40-55 percent of all logging, with the number rising to a staggering 90 percent in Papua New Guinea. The report also states that approximately 10–15 billion USD is generated annually as a result. Mostly controlled by criminal organisations, this money is untaxed and used to pay corrupt government officials at all levels.

“We need to fight organised crime in illegal logging the way we go after gangsters selling drugs or racketeering,” said Jean Pesme, manager of the World Bank Financial Market Integrity team. The report provides policy and operational recommendations for policy-makers and forestry and law enforcement actors to integrate illegal logging into criminal justice strategies, foster international and domestic cooperation among policy-makers, law enforcement authorities and other key stakeholders.

The report also underlines that to be effective, law enforcement needs to look past low-level criminals and uncover where the profits from illegal logging go. This should be seen as the responsibility of consumer countries, as well as producer countries. By following the money trail, criminal organisations engaged in large-scale illegal logging can be prosecuted and ill-gotten gains confiscated.

For more information, click here.

The Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement organises regular training workshops aimed at public sector employees and public sector suppliers and contractors. CPET, which was set up by the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, assists public sector personnel in implementing the national policy on public procurement of timber, which requires all timber and wood products purchased/supplied by the public sector to be from legal and sustainable sources.

CPET works in partnership with WWF to encourage local authorities in particular to implement policies on timber procurement. Public sector employees and public sector suppliers and contractors can attend the workshops free of charge. Different tools for the implementation of a sustainable timber procurement policy, which ensures that timber and wood products are sustainable, will be presented from both from the consumers’ point of view and the supplier perspective.

Experts will be on hand to explain how to implement specifications and contract clauses. The type of evidence available, such as forest certification schemes like FSC and PEFC, will also be presented and participants will be shown how to check they adhere to them. You can contact cpet@proforest.net for more information on the workshop and future trainings.

For more information, click here.

The German branches of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) have presented a combined label for furniture from timber that comes from sustainably managed forests and meets fair trade standards. The aim is to improve the situation of the people working in the industry by combining environmental criteria with social standards.

The cooperation was presented during the imm Cologne, an important furniture trade show. Uwe Sayer, director of FSC Germany, said “Fairtrade standards are an optimal addition to the FSC-principles and -criteria.” While FSC already has established a minimum set of social criteria, Dieter Overath, head of FLO’s German branch TransFair, emphasised that “Fairtrade certification ensures that forestry companies and their workers get paid a fair price for their timber.”

The first company certified by both labelling organisations is a medium-sized forest enterprise from Bolivia, other companies from Chile and Honduras are set to follow. They employ mostly indigenous workers for whom forestry is the only source of income. The furniture – for private and for office use – will be sold in Germany by several large-scale retailers.

For more information, click here. (In German)

NEPCon, a Danish registered non-profit organisation is developing a new standard that will provide assurance that timber procured meets legal quality and performance requirements according to new EU Timber Regulations. The LegalSource standard system aims to reduce the risk of illegally originating wood entering the organisation’s supply chain.

The assurance offered by the LegalSource standard complements other existing standards, such as FSC certification and the public or private procurement of certified products, legality verification covering specific products and adoption of procurement policies for specific timber products such as paper or packaging. NEPCon is currently seeking stakeholders' input on a draft version of the standard.

In October 2010, NEPCon launched the LegalSource Gap Analysis tool, which offers a streamlined methodology for the initial screening of the risk of illegal timber entering the supply chain prior to coming into the EU. Completion of the Gap Analysis is part of the preparatory work that an organisation must carry out in order to be certified by the LegalSource standard.

For more information, click here.