B&Q has contracted certification body SmartWood to certify its key stores to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody standards.
The company’s social responsibility manager, Annie Johnson, said around 100 of B&Q’s warehouse stores, which account for around 60% of the firm’s business, will be certified initially.
B&Q has had a timber policy since 1991 and last year it commissioned a review of all the certification schemes it felt were relevant to the company in the UK. Ms Johnson said: “The outcome was that FSC was the best for B&Q, although we will also source timber certified to the Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia (LEI) scheme, and timber from forests that have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tropical Forest Trust or are registered under the Certification Support Programme organised by SGS.”
The research was carried out by ProForest and B&Q said its move towards FSC chain of custody was in response to increasing demand for timber and manufactured wooden products from well managed forests from its business customers such as government and local authority departments as well as general trade customers.
Business to business manager Mike Cartwright said a key benefit to B&Q’s business customers would be having the evidence to promote FSC certified products as traceable from the store right back to the forest.
Anna Jenkins, director of FSC UK, said chain of custody certification would enable B&Q to supply material to certified contractors for FSC projects.
And Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance, said that B&Q had set a high standard for retailers worldwide, adding that the decision is “a vivid sign to consumers that the company is serious about its commitment to ensure forest sustainability”.
