We fully support Keith Fryer’s views (TTJ April 16/23).
BM TRADA Certification Ltd is an accredited certification body. We undertake a range of services including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) chain of custody certification. More than 400 UK-based timber companies are registered on our TRADA-Trak chain of custody programme.
These companies become registered for chain of custody certification to enable them to make claims about some of the wood products they sell. Essentially the claim with regard to FSC- and PEFC-certified products is the same: namely that such products are derived from well-managed forests. Companies that register for chain of custody certification are therefore demonstrating a commitment towards supporting the responsible use of the world’s forests.
An essential element of the chain of custody process is that the entire supply chain is independently verified. This is vital because it lends credibility to the process.
As Keith suggests, there are some companies in the UK selling “certified wood products” that do not have their own chain of custody certification. They may present the certificate or label of their supplier as evidence of certification but they themselves are not registered. This means that the ‘chain’ is broken.
Under the FSC’s and PEFC’s rules with regard to public claims and statements, under these circumstances, such companies are not entitled to make any claims about certification. More importantly, neither can the customer who buys the certified wood products. This is particularly significant if there is an intention to make public statements in respect of the wood used in a construction project or if a customer is acting under a client requirement that only certified wood products be used.
With the growing interest and demand for certified wood products, it is vital that all participants in the supply chain abide by the rules and guidelines of chain of custody certification. Our objective for writing is to protect the interests of our clients, all of whom have made a considerable investment in the chain of custody process and have demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting better forest management.
Non-registered companies that make claims about the certified products they sell are effectively freeloading off the back of this process and their overall commitment can therefore reasonably be challenged. However, most importantly, it is vital that customers are not inadvertently led to believe that they are buying bona fide certified wood products from non-registered companies.
Alasdair McGregor
Product/timber business manager
BM TRADA Certification Ltd
