The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force in the UK on 3 March 2013. It prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the EU market and lays out the procedures which those trading timber within the EU must put in place to minimise the risk of illegal timber being sold. It is the first piece of legislation in the EU to prohibit the trade in illegal timber, and should be the final nail in the coffin of illegal timber in the EU.

Over 70% of timber brought into the UK is already proven as legal, and responsibly sourced, with nearly 2000 companies having achieved Chain of Custody Certification. The demand for certified timber is increasing as more and more contractors, house builders and government projects are insisting on it. FSC and PEFC certification can also go some way to meeting the due diligence criteria required under the EU timber regulations for ‘operators’ placing their timber and timber products on the EU market. You can find more detail on FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody by following the link on the left hand side.

Our 14 minute audio presentation and slideshow answers your FAQs on the EU Timber regulation and Chain of Custody certification. It covers why the EU timber regulation is so significant for manufacturers and suppliers of timber products, what the penalties for non-conformance could be, and it explains the benefits of FSC or PEFC Chain of Custody certification in ensuring traceability along the supply chain.

For more information on getting FSC or PEFC Chain of Custody Certification, read about the BWF’s Group Scheme, which enables companies of 15 or fewer employees to get FSC certification at a reduced rate. We’ve now extended the scheme to allow  companies with 50 or fewer employees to get  PEFC Chain of Custody certification.

For more information on the EU Timber Regulation, the BWF has written ‘an easy guide to the EUTR’, which members can download for free from the BWF website. The guide gives answers to many of the frequently asked questions on the Regulation, including:
‘What products does the regulation cover?’
‘What do I have to do to comply with the regulation?’
‘What are the penalties?’
‘Will achieving Chain of Custody certification help me comply with the regulation?’
www.bwf.org.uk/publications/general-business-support

****We have launched a template due diligence system that BWF members who will be first to place wood based products on the EU market can use before buying their products, in order to help them comply with the regulation.****

BWF Members trading in wood based products within the EU market may find it worthwhile to adopt the template Timber Purchasing Policy (Appendix I) as a declaration to display to clients and to assist with their environmental obligations under the BWF Code of Conduct.

The documentation comes in 6 parts and can be downloaded here: www.bwf.org.uk/publications/environmental-and-waste-management