Two articles in TTJ (September 4/11), “Certification could fail government standards” and “Triple certification”, raise the problem of multiple certificates and the inevitable question of their mutual recognition.
We know that customers need a simple message to be reassured on the forest’s health. The problem is that FSC, PEFC, CSA, SFI, MTCC and PAFC, CERFLOR… do not mean anything to them. We need an umbrella symbol which embraces all these schemes.
I do not want to dishearten the timber certification. On the contrary, it would be more efficient if we focused on communicating certification to customers. The problems is to find a solution for the distribution sector that does not need several stamps on its products.
We need just one symbol – European or worldwide if possible – as exists for the renewability of packs, for example.
It is incomprehensible to see competitor materials (steel, plastic) being able to communicate worldwide with their environmental quality of renewability, whereas the timber sector is unable to promote a simple and unique message for its environmentally-friendly material.
We need to be clear on this proposal of an umbrella symbol. It is not about phasing out the various certification schemes. Each one has its raison d’être, according to their regional situations, but it is important to disassociate the question of chain of custody from that of communication to the public, and we should limit the use of current certification stamps for professional use.
This proposal will not prevent some distributors from keeping their former stamp alongside the new generic symbol. Consumers will see this new logo which would simply mean that timber comes from a well managed forest, whatever the certification scheme used.
Promoters of the current schemes will oppose this proposal because they want to put their brand on the final products. I can understand this position but, in the meantime, the market share of certified products remains very low, perhaps with the exception of the UK. The time is now or never if we want to avoid a war between schemes which will be at the expense of timber.
An umbrella symbol is not impossible. It will require strong support from European governments which, through their timber procurement policies, could convince the Commission to implement this single and significant message.
Eric Boilley
Director
Le Commerce du Bois, Paris
