New tool helps importers transition to new EU timber law
NEPCon and the Rainforest Alliance are launching a new tool today that will aid companies importing timber into the EU to identify and manage weakness in their supply chains. Importers urgently need to prepare for the new EU regulation which aims to curb the influx of illegal timber into Europe.
“Those who do not act soon may find themselves in a difficult spot two years from now. Many suppliers need time to adapt to the new requirements and provide the assurance that will be required”, explains Christian Sloth, Verification Services Manager at NEPCon.
Importers have special obligations under the legislation that require urgent action in order to ensure legal compliance by 3 March 2013 when the EU Timber Regulation comes into force. Although the details of the regulation will only be known a year from now, some key requirements are clear from the overall framework legislation that has been passed by the EU Parliament.
"Our gap analysis tool has been developed to meet the needs of traders that import timber and paper products into the EU", says Mr. Sloth. The new tool helps importers gain a quick overview and efficiently plan and prioritise their efforts to meet the legal requirements.
Stay ahead of the game
“We recommend that importers take the ‘better safe than sorry’ line and look into their supply chains now – nobody wants to infract the law”, says Mr. Sloth. And it is equally wise from a business perspective.
The whole market is about to change. In the near future, traders who import timber product into the EU will not only be competing for suppliers who can provide the best qualities at the best price. The level of assurance offered for the legality of the products will be a decisive quality as well. Those who act now are most likely to succeed by gaining a first-mover advantage.
The penalties for infracting the regulation are yet to be determined by the EU member states.
Key benefits of the gap analysis tool
“During development of our tool, we have placed great emphasis on its usability”, explains Mr. Sloth. The gap analysis concept is a self-evaluation tool that guides the importer to compile relevant data to gain an overview of its supply chain, identify key risk areas and evaluate available documentation that can mitigate the identified risk.
By systematically asking the right questions and recording the answers, importers can spot the weak links in their supply chain in terms of legality assurance relatively quickly, and identify what needs to be done to mitigate the risk.
In addition to the self-evaluation carried out by the company based on the gap analysis tool, NEPCon or the Rainforest Alliance will carry out a review and quality assurance of the results. Based on this evaluation, a Gap Analysis Report will outline the key challenges facing the importer which the company can use to develop a targeted action plan on its own, or in collaboration with NEPCon or the Rainforest Alliance.
The Gap Analysis concept has been developed over the past six months and tested jointly with timber product importers.
