Timbmet Silverman claims to have provided the missing link for people needing to know the environmental credentials of hardwoods they are buying.
The company has launched “Verified Progress” to distinguish supplies which have been independently confirmed to be legally harvested, traceable from source, and from forests where forest management practices are actively working towards credible certification, with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation as the target.
The supply of Verified Progress timber is independently checked through certification of Timbmet Silverman to BM TRADA‘s “Forest Products Chain of Custody” standard.
Group environmental manager Dr Mike Packer said: “We believe this is the missing link for many customers who want to buy hardwoods responsibly.”
He said demand for FSC and other certified timbers is increasing and added: “However, the market reality is that there is no credibly certified timber from tropical Africa and only a limited supply from other tropical regions.
“Yet in these countries there are many forests that are now being sustainably managed and working towards certification.”
But the problem, according to Dr Packer, is that progress is not recognised under current labelling or certification schemes, and forest owners who are trying to move forward go unrecognised and receive no benefit for their effort.
Verified Progress will, he said, give the market a genuine alternative.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has developed an on-line Matrix at www.forestrycertification.info enabling users to compare information on existing European and international certification schemes.
CEPI wants the forest-based industry chain to focus on the importance of assuring sustainable forest management and to move away from debate over individual forest schemes.
