Progress is being made in the UK timber trade with regard to the environment. The increasing take-up of chain of custody (CoC) certification by some of the industry’s biggest names, including Travis Perkins and Jewson, is perhaps the best proof that green matters are near the top of the business agenda.
Certified forest coverage is growing globally, and the UK government seems to be getting its act together by launching the Central Point of Expertise on Timber.
Of course, not everything is rosy – stories about illegal logging, particularly in Indonesia and Brazil, continue. But even on this sensitive Indonesian issue the trade has shown initiative.
Dr Penny Bienz, the Timber Trade Federation‘s (TTF) head of environmental affairs, said that in the past two years a “green consciousness” had developed. Influences have come from both within the trade (by means of codes of conduct and media campaigns) and by UK and international government bodies looking to satisfy sustainability objectives.
Dr Bienz said: “We are now looking to address all issues of ensuring a sustainable supply of timber and wood products into the UK markets. In return we will look for greater recognition from the government that timber, above all other construction and design materials, goes a lot further to satisfy their environmental agenda. This recognition can be demonstrated in an increased use of timber in public construction projects and greater support for academic institutions and research and development initiatives.”
Indonesian Action Plan
The TTF’s commitment can be seen with its Indonesian Action Plan, formulated last year following a landmark meeting which brought together business, NGOs and government for the first time. This involves an environmental scoping study of 12 mills in Indonesia conducted independently by the Tropical Forests Trust. The aim is to identify those mills which can provide legal, and ultimately sustainable timber to the UK.
The TTF has also had close workings with the European Timber Trade Federation‘s Action Plan in response to the EC Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Programme (FLEGT ). In addition, Forests Forever is revising its procurement policy, in line with government requirements, to enable members to supply this more challenging market.
Certification continues to march on. The total amount of Forest Stewardship Council certified forest grew by a third in 2003, and reached 40.4 million ha in March. The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) has seen its certified forest rise by another six million ha in the past year, bringing the total to 53 million ha. The main certification scheme in the US, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, has 136 million acres certified.
Anna Jenkins, director of FSC UK, said FSC CoC certification increased globally by 50% last year (28% in 2002). In the UK it grew by 19%, with 53 CoC certificates issued, while a 3% growth in forest certification was recorded. The real surge (79%) was in take-up of group CoC by small to medium-sized firms.
Ms Jenkins said: “Chain of custody was a really big feature. There is an awful lot of certified forest out there and people talk about not enough supply, but it’s not the case. The problem has been the links in between. This year we have seen the chain of custody catching up with the certified forest cover and filling the vacuum.”
New plans
Plans being discussed include a two-tier labelling system – green for 100% FSC products and brown for less than a 100%. Project-based CoC is also an aim for the construction sector, with funding already granted from a Dutch foundation to support its development on a Europe-wide basis.
“At the moment, if builders of a development want to make a claim that every bit of wood is certified they would have to have every contractor chain of custody certified. Clearly, that is not very practical so we are going to look at project-based CoC. We have to make it easier for people,” said Ms Jenkins.
Timber suppliers would still need CoC certification but not every contractor would need it.
Ms Jenkins said the issue of mutual recognition is still a thorny issue and fraught with misunderstanding. She detected a resignation in the industry that FSC does not see itself recognising other schemes but said FSC could not do this “unless they come up to our standards”.
She said certified timber demand was certainly increasing, with a lot being government related. “Large retailers are rolling out their policies for more certified timber. I think the fact that chain of custody has increased like this is fairly indicative of demand going up.”
The Co-operative Bank’s ethical consumerism report estimates that some £636m worth of FSC retail timber and wood products were sold in the UK in 2002 – an 80% increase on 1999. And 14% of B&Q‘s turnover is FSC-certified timber and wood products.
The past year has also proved important for PEFC. PEFC Council secretary-general Ben Gunneberg said chain of custody certification has been an important feature. An average of 60 companies a month are being certified, with the total exceeding 1,200, including the first CoC certifications in Japan.
PEFC-certified forest area has grown by another six million ha, bringing the current total to 53 million ha, while more PEFC labelled products are coming onto the market.
Finnish giant UPM is one company promoting mutual recognition. It is globally committed to schemes such as FSC (UK and Uruguay), PEFC (Finland, France, Germany and Austria) and SFI (US and Canada).
Mutual recognition
Robert Taylor, project manager at UPM-Kymmene Forest, said one reason for supporting mutual recognition is to report the real share of certified fibre to customers. Wood from FSC-certified UK forests, some managed by Tilhill, is sometimes exported to Finnish mills that have PEFC CoC. The lack of mutual recognition means the material is classed as non-certified.
All UPM’s Finnish forests are certified to the Finnish Forest Certification System (endorsed by PEFC). The company’s 50-year management plan covers 930,000ha, which are growing by 4 million m3 per year, while the sustainable annual allowable cut is 2.1 million m3.
The UK government, embarrassed several times by NGOs for not living up to its own procurement promises, is making progress with the proposed Central Point of Expertise on Timber. Tenders are being sought to select an organisation which, in phase one, will clarify government procurement criteria and evaluate certification schemes against them.
The second phase will involve a more interactive service, providing advice to government procurement officers and possibly a phone helpline.
Bob Andrew, policy adviser in DEFRA’s purchasing and contracts division, said: “It will not decide whether the certification schemes are good or bad. That’s not our remit. We will just be limited to our own particular needs as defined by our government contract terms and conditions.”
Procurement guidance
DEFRA has already updated its timber procurement guidance this year to a stepwise approach, effectively meaning “legal” timber will be accepted as a minimum. But suppliers who can provide sustainable timber will get the preference in contracts.
Previously, a modelled clause stated that all timber had to be legal and sustainable. “There was no half-way house. But it turned out to be too tall an order for some contractors,” said Mr Andrew.
He said DEFRA cannot stipulate in contracts to procure only sustainable timber as it would prove impossible and “won’t stand up in a court of law”. Certification, he added, is proof but there are other ways of meeting sustainability credentials. “We do not insist on certification for legal and trade reasons.” For some contracts, for instance coastal and flood protection structures, it is difficult to source certified water-resistant species.
“If there is a large premium to pay for sustainable timber such as greenheart, which comes from the tropics and it froze a whole building project, the buyer may decide it does not offer value for money.”
He admitted many local authorities and contractors are under the impression only FSC is acceptable. However, he said other schemes such as PEFC and SFI are fine for government contracts.
“We do not make a distinction between the different certification schemes because we do not think we are in a position to do that. They are all certification schemes which have a claim to forest protection and chain of custody.”
