02/05/2025
The UK Government is considering some significant amendments to building regulations which will impact BWF Members and the wider woodworking and joinery manufacturing industry. A consultation of ...
BWF members are reminded to keep on top of their obligations under the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) in the wake of a recent study by the National Measurement Office (NMO) to assess the risk of plywood imported from China (but often originally sourced from Africa) and placed on the UK market. The NMO enforce a number of areas of legislation in the UK, including the EUTR.
A risk based assessment led to 16 companies being investigated as part of this research exercise. The study found that a total of 13 products were purchased for testing against their described timber composition, of which nine did not match their declaration. Various sanctions will be applied to the companies in question, including the possibility of prosecution based on non-compliance with a notice of remedial action.
The combined value of the imports of the companies in this project amounts to 10% of the plywood imported from China into the UK in the last year. The NMO are likely to conduct further investigations in this product area in the future.
The EU Timber Regulation puts obligations on those who trade in timber and some timber products to help ensure that the wood has been legally sourced. For more information, 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?’
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.
The documentation comes in 6 parts and can be downloaded here: www.bwf.org.uk/publications/environmental-and-waste-management
The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) is being reviewed by the European Commission this year and BWF members have an opportunity to feed in their views and suggestions on any aspect of the regulation.
