The environmental group’s online survey, which was completed by the Greater London Authority and 26 of London’s 33 boroughs, rated Sutton the most “forest-friendly” and Ealing the worst.
However, Roger Jones, head of Ealing council’s strategic procurement, said the information used in the survey did not reflect the current situation.
He said Ealing council was committed to environmentally-responsible procurement and all major tenders now required a procurement plan, which specifically included environmental and sustainable issues.
WWF found that while 52% of respondents had a policy relating to responsible timber purchasing, only 19% were fully implementing it, with just 33% asking for documentary evidence of certified status from contractors and suppliers.
The group said the low level of documentary checks by councils “calls into question whether they are really getting what they ask for”.
Some 54% of respondents include responsible criteria in their tender specifications, with 46% using forest certification systems, with a strong bias towards Forest Stewardship Council-certified products.
A third of councils stated they were currently developing a responsible timber purchasing policy, but WWF said effective policies should be introduced as a matter of urgency.
