“The COP26 climate talks last year got people talking about tropical forests – now, the world needs to realise that a global legal framework is needed to ensure sustainability”
One of the things we’re really passionate about at Quercus is sustainability in the timber trade. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk, ensuring that our timber is not only the best quality available, but also ethically sourced. Last year saw sustainable timber go from being on our agenda to being on the world’s agenda, but one of the major challenges to a more sustainable timber trade is the absence of a global legal framework to regulate it. If you work with timber, then this issue directly affects you and your customers – here’s what you need to know about it:
The EU has recently announced that it’s scrapping the FLEGT Action Plan and replacing it with a new set of regulations. While this plan wasn’t universally popular, it did provide a solid framework for countries to restructure their legal requirements over sustainable forest management. So why did it fail? One of the major reasons was that it was only recognised by the EU and the UK. While trade with the EU is a worthy incentive, the fact is that the world’s biggest markets for tropical timber are elsewhere. In other words, the people that really needed to buy into the FLEGT Action Plan, if it was ever going to succeed, weren’t coming to the table.
The overarching problem with a lack of standardised, global, regulations when it comes to tropical timber is that producers end up scrambling to comply with a multitude of different national frameworks. This creates huge barriers to best practise, efficiency and transparency in the global tropical timber supply chain. Ultimately, this is a problem that will trickle down to all of us if it is not addressed. The various lofty ambitions that political leaders have over climate forestry are bound to fail if they’re not anchored on a solid international regulatory framework.
At Quercus, we take sustainability seriously, which means our customers can rest assured that the timber we supply them with is not only the best quality available, it’s also the most ethical. If you’re looking for a quote – or an expert opinion – on the timber that’s right for your next project, then get in touch with us on 0845 50 50 311.