Survey to gauge industry readiness for EU Timber Regulation in UK & Ireland

NEPCon and the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) invite first placers of timber or paper products to participate in a new survey that will assess current levels of industry awareness and preparedness for the legislation.

Europe is a key player on the global timber market, with timber products from all over the world destined for EU markets. 

The EU Timber Regulation has the potential to contribute significantly to tackling illegal logging, which has negative impacts for biodiversity, climate change, forest communities’ human rights and the economic development of timber producing countries in the developing world.

“We welcome the EU Timber Regulation and believe it will help level the playing field for the European industry whilst positively impacting timber producing countries. We are however concerned that many businesses may not be doing what is necessary to prepare in time due to lack of awareness or resources. The survey will help us assess the current level of understanding of the new legislation so that we can support the industry to prepare,” says Ann Weddle, Manager of NEPCon UK.

Anand Punja, Sustainability Manager, at the Timber Trade Federation said: “We have been proactive in working with members to ensure they are ready for the EUTR. However, we are concerned that there are businesses in the supply chain outside of TTF membership which have not looked at how they will comply with the requirements and this could taint the reputation of the industry as a whole. We’re hoping that this survey will help raise awareness and highlight those firms with whom we need to now engage.” The TTF has made Due Diligence a compulsory condition of membership through its propriety Responsible Purchasing Policy which is free to all members.
 

Industry preparedness a concern

The law will apply to all businesses which handle certain timber and paper products. However, businesses that first place timber products onto the EU market will be the greatest affected and therefore need to start preparing to be in compliance by the enforcement date. March 2013 may seem like a long time away, but for companies with long-term procurement agreements, it is just around the corner.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises may find it difficult to meet the requirements within the given deadline, given their limited resources. Retailers and many large companies also face special challenges, as they typically offer a wide range of products with complex supply chains”, says Miss Weddle.

NEPCon and the TTF separately have developed tools and solutions for the industry to not just help businesses to comply with EUTR requirements but to go beyond, future proofing them against regulatory revisions.

Join the survey

Any company that places timber or paper products on the EU market for the first time – known in the Regulation as ‘Operators’ – are invited to participate in the survey which will remain open until the end of August. Forestry, retail, construction, paper, packaging, processing and manufacturing, printing and publishing are among the key business sectors that will be affected.

This joint NEPCon and TTF survey will uncover the level of awareness of the EU Timber Regulation among these business sectors within the UK and Ireland, how far the industry has come with its preparations, and how the industry perceives the regulation’s impact on business.

The survey will close on 30 September 2012. To participate, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EUTRsurvey.

Participants can choose to enter responses anonymously and can enter a draw and win a bag of goodies, kindly donated by Rainforest Alliance. We expect to publish the results of the survey by November 2012 on the NEPCon and TTF websites. Winners of the prize draw will be contacted directly.