WWF calls for stiffer measures to ensure legality of logged wood

A new WWF-UK study has raised concerns about the ability of some UK companies to prove where their wood supply comes from.

The WWF study was designed to see if companies that were selling non-EUTR covered products (eg: chairs, musical instruments, toys) had done sufficient checks to ensure they were at least made from wood from legal sources. In nearly a third of the products sent for laboratory analysis, the results found that the wood was different to the one declared by the retailer, and nearly half of the companies were selling products made from timber from areas that experience high levels of illegal logging.

Julia Young, Mmanager of WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network programme at WWF-UK explained: “We purchased goods from 17 companies, and not one could provide evidence that they had carried out sufficient due diligence. We cannot continue to have a market where customers cannot be sure the product they buy is made from the wood declared. In the absence of better information from companies that their wood has come from a legally or sustainably logged forest, customers are in the dark. 

“We’re calling for improvements to the EUTR, as currently companies can still legally sell certain products that have been made of illegally logged wood. We also want far more transparency on sourcing practices and performance.

“We are heartened that as a result of this work, new businesses are now engaging with us to find out how to improve their due diligence, and 40 others have already signed up to our campaign. The forest campaign involves a pledge to buy from legal and sustainable sources. This is the right way to go and we want more companies to take this challenge and their responsibility seriously.”

Almost 70,000 people have signed the WWF-UK #SaveForests petition.