Certification & Legality

Since 2019 our company is FSC certified for the COC, a very important target for us as traders constantly engaged to persue the legality of our timber.

Our policy is to select suppliers in high-risk countries like the west Africa, where corruption and illegality are still very strong, and after years of hard work, we can state that all of our suppliers are FSC or third party verified or at least EUTR compliant.

WHAT IS THE EUTR (TIMBER TRADE FEDERATION)

The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force in March 2013 and prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the European market. Crucially the EUTR requires companies placing timber or timber products on the European market (both imported and domestic) for the first time to implement a due diligence system. Failure to do so could see timber companies facing a criminal charge.
How does the EUTR affect me?
Five key things you need to know and how the TTF can help.
1. The EUTR bans illegal timber in the EU and requires those companies that place wood or wood products on the EU market for the first time to assess the risk of whether those products may be illegal and where risks are identified, to mitigate any identified risks. This is known as due diligence and like all due diligence, it must happen before you buy the product. Importantly, it has to be undertaken even if the product is certified.??2. The law states that you must keep a record of the supplier, the product’s timber species, where it comes from, and the amount bought. You must also record your risk assessment on the product, based on the evidence you have collected.??3. You must use credible information about the country of origin, the supplier, the product and any other sources of information in determining the level of risk. You should not place an order for a product until you have been through this process and taken any necessary measures to minimise the risk of the product being illegal. You should also record what action you are taking to reduce your risk going forward.??4. If you are buying a product that is already in the EU and on which due diligence has taken place you need to keep records on whom you bought the product from and to whom you sold it. This helps the enforcement authority to trace illegal products up and down the supply chain and take them off the market if needed.??5. The TTF has developed a business toolkit that enables companies to comply with the legislation. It is called the Responsible Purchasing Process (RPP). The TTF provides this due diligence toolkit FREE as a membership benefit.??Please remember that for anything relating to the EUTR, due diligence and legal compliance we require it to be independently assessed to ensure it is in line with our Environmental Code of Practise. ?

 

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