The forthcoming European Timber Regulation is driving growing demand for TRADA’s timber identification services.
TRADA says the legislation’s requirement for companies selling timber and wood products to implement due diligence systems to ascertain the legal harvesting of their products is behind the growth. The new European regulation is due to come into force in March 2013.
The organisation has recently been working with major retailing chains selling hardwood garden furniture.
“Although products might arrive with chain of custody certification, it can happen that the timber is not what has been documented,” said Elizabeth Turner, TRADA principal consultant.
“Companies who give assurances to their customers about the species and provenance of the products they sell, cannot be found to be stocking something different.”
In some cases, TRADA has identified individual pieces that contain components manufactured from different species to that identified in accompanying documentation.
“The goal is to ensure that all timber is sourced responsibly and. With the advent of the EU timber regulations due to come into force in 2013, we can see that verification of timber identity will become increasingly important,” added Ms Turner.
