The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has decided that its members’ panel products must be marked with a specific country of origin to encourage greater transparency about sourcing.

The TTF’s National Panel Products Division (NPPD) took the decision because of the use of generic descriptions like “Far Eastern” which appear on panels. Such descriptions, the NPPD says, are open to abuse.

Currently, it is not a legal requirement to declare a country of origin, though it is illegal to falsely describe one.

&#8220As an industry we are proud of our manufacturing sources and should not be afraid to ensure all of our products show a specific country of origin”

TTF product manager, Nick Boulton

The marking requirement will be included in the NPPD Code of Practice, which a sub-committee is reviewing and will report on by June.

TTF product manager Nick Boulton said: “As an industry we are proud of our manufacturing sources and therefore should not be afraid to ensure all of our products show a specific country of origin.”