EU ban on illegal timber trade under way … According to several media, the EU countries have agreed to ban trade in illegal timber products in the …

UK timber industry joins the Due Diligence debate … In a joint statement, the UK’s Timber Trade Federation, Confederation of Forest Industries, Wood Panels Industries Federation and British Woodworking Federation call on the EU to adopt "a workable, but …

PEFC chain of custody standards to cover social issues … PEFC has launched a process that aims to develop a system for including social issues into the PEFC chain of custody …

Will US Green Building Council let the forests down? … It's quite possible, judging by a new draft forestry benchmark proposed for the US LEED green building standard. Using certified wood credits you with only a single point out of the minimum 40 you …

Wake-up call for builders: use certified wood … Starting on Monday 8th of March and throughout the next 4 months, nearly all glulam products leaving the factories of the Danish company Lilleheden A/S will carry a bright green FSC …

First discussions on global framework for timber legality verification … Increased focus on illegal logging and its numerous adverse effects, including deforestation and related climate change, has resulted in clear market demands for documented legality …

The UK includes social criteria in timber procurement policy … At the Chatham House 15th Illegal Logging Stakeholder Update, the UK Minister of Environment, food and rural affairs Hilary Benn announced the inclusion of social criteria in the Government's …

China sees its first FSC-labeled book … Two great new achievements within the paper and publishing sector marks the beginning of 2010: China saw the launch of its first FSC-labelled book, and the Sao Paulo newspaper Metro followed in the footsteps of …

Ethical bank targets FSC business in developing countries … The leading Danish ethical bank Merkur Cooperative Bank has been financing socially and environmentally sustainable business development in Europe for …

Gucci follows green fashion trend in paper procurement … In a move to avoid contributing to destruction of Indonesia's precious tropical forests and to lower its carbon footprint, the Gucci Group has adopted a strong paper policy that sets preference for …

New corruption figures: changes in Controlled Wood risk … The new Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International has implications for companies sourcing controlled wood from countries with a CPI fluctuating around …

FSC certification of 8,000 Swedish family forests … The great success of Swedish forest group Södra's FSC group scheme proves that large scale FSC certification of small private forest land In Europe is …

Biochar: New weapon to fight deforestation and climate change? … Among the numerous new approaches to mitigate global warming, some may open up new business opportunities for forest …

Belgian supermarket launches FSC certified till receipts … According to a press release from FSC-Belgium, the Colruyt group is switching to FSC-certified paper for its till receipts for a number of its …

Sourcing legal wood? New corruption index released … Transparency International has released the 2014 figures for the perceived corruption level in most of the world's countries. Gain an overview of the changes and their implications for legal and FSC …

First energy company in Denmark receives FSC certification … NEPCon has issued an FSC chain of custody certificate to the trade arm of the Danish energy company Verdo A/S.  The company is now able to deliver wood chips, pellets and briquettes from …

Agri-schemes top driver of forest loss in Cambodia … A recent study estimates that 90 % of Cambodian timber products are derived from forest conversion, a fact that speaks to the country’s rapid loss of forest cover. The main drivers of deforestation are …

NEPCon approved as Sustainable Biomass Partnership certification body … Today, the Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) announced its approval of NEPCon as the world's first SBP …

FSC system updates for FSC CoC certificate holders … Due to the alignment process of the FSC system with the EUTR, FSC chain of custody certified companies face a number of changed and new requirements. Several are effective immediately and need urgent …

New corruption figures: implications for legal timber sourcing … On 5 December 2012, Transparency International released the results of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) …