UK Government timber procurement policy

Marigold Norman Department for Environment, Food, and Rural

Affairs

National Sustainable Procurement Stakeholder Group22 May 2008

The UK timber procurement policy

• Since 2000, central government departments must seek to buy timber from sustainable and legal sources.

• Legal timber is a condition of contract.

• From 2009, policy will change to sustainable timber only, or timber licensed under the EU FLEGT initiative.

Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET)

• Established in 2005 to provide free advice to public sector and suppliers.

• Assessments of schemes and other evidence against government definitions of legality & sustainability.

• Workshops, promotion, monitoring and guidance.

• Reference Board includes trade and ENGOs.

Legality and sustainability – definitions

• Legality refers to compliance with relevant laws in the country of origin of the timber.

• Sustainability encompasses most elements of international definitions of sustainable forest management.

• Suppliers can use certified timber or other credible means of ensuring legality & sustainability.

Impacts and influence of the policy

• 60% of timber imports into UK are certified – significant increase since policy adopted.

• Other national governments have followed suit in developing timber procurement policies.

• Raising the standards of SFM (through certification schemes)

• Timber Trade Federation: ‘policy is a significant driver for removing illegal timber from the supply chain’.

Work with local authorities on timber procurement

• Defra working to encourage local authority development and implementation of a timber procurement policy.

• Defra working with the Timber Trade Federation and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) on a joint strategy aimed at offering the maximum support to local authorities.

• Meeting on 25th June with around10 London LAs and industry/NGO representatives to discuss a London forum to share information and best practice.

What next?

• London forum and promotion of the CPET services to local authorities. Important to stress the link between timber and the Local Government Sustainable Procurement Strategy.

• EU considering mandatory green public procurement policies – this would mean that all 27 Member States have to purchase legal timber.

• EU considering legislation to tackle illegal logging.

Thank you. Any questions?

Marigold Norman+44 (0)20 7270 8408marigold.norman@defra.gsi.gov.uk

CPET+44 (0)1865 243766cpet@proforest.net www.proforest.net/cpet