Public procurement policies rely on FSC as evidence of compliance
Sofie Tind Nielsen of CPET says “forest certification schemes are essential for the implementation of timber procurement policies. In a public procurement context some countries (e.g. France and Germany) require that all timber procured is certified or that equivalent evidence is provided. Other countries (e.g. Denmark, UK and the Netherlands) have established their own criteria for legality and sustainability and assess certification schemes against these for compliance.
“The UK government has established the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) to support the implementation of its timber procurement policy. In addition to running a helpline, website and training workshops for public buyers, suppliers and contractors CPET assess evidence of compliance.
“FSC is an easy way for suppliers to prove that the timber they supply originates from a legally and sustainably managed forest, and takes the burden off public buyers as it controls and verifies the certified timber through the supply chain. FSC is therefore an important tool in the implementation of public timber procurement polices and referred to as evidence of compliance by almost all current timber procurement policies.”
See the CPET website www.proforest.net/cpet for further information.