The international market for wood products is highly competitive; from flooring to furniture, plywood, lumber and more.

Heavy demand drives illegal logging practices leading to lasting – and often irreversible – social, environmental and ecological consequences.

Although the timber industry is highly regulated, according to a 2019 article by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Interpol reports that trade in illegally harvested timber accounts for between USD$51 billion and USD$152 billion annually.

Consumers who are less willing to overlook illegal practices are demanding accountability from beginning to end.

Forestry Timber, in its 30-year history, has committed to using only legally-sourced timber from sustainably managed forests.

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Is certification really important?

Although certified wood products are inherently more expensive than illegally sourced timber, certification bodies like FSC® PEFC™ FloorScore® and Eurofins work to ensure that exacting guidelines are met to protect not only forests, but also to safeguard habitats, ensuring that local and indigenous communities are protected, employees are treated fairly and that the end-consumer has a product in their homes and workplaces that is not detrimental to their health and well-being. Certification not only lends credibility to organizations but also serves to reassure consumers that the product they are purchasing has not harmed the environment, fauna, employees or communities.

What difference does it make?

Wood floors sourced from responsibly managed forests are some of the most environmentally friendly. Illegal logging is not only detrimental to the environment but is also a significant contributor to deforestation, leading to climate change, as well as the destruction of wildlife habitats and indigenous populations whose homes and livelihoods are dependent on the forest. Certification of wood products works to ensure that the process is transparent and follows internationally recognised, responsible forestry practices.

Toxic chemicals to treat wood products are hazardous not only to employees who use the product to treat wood, but throughout the supply chain, right to the end consumer; contributing to unhealthy indoor air quality. The off gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) used in the manufacture of numerous products contribute to a number of illnesses. Formaldehyde, for example, is a respiratory irritant and a known carcinogen that contributes to asthma and allergies in children, coughing, wheezing and more.

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Forestry Timber ensures their products meet or exceed the standards required by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and America’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standard Method for VOC Emissions Testing – one of the strictest regulatory bodies worldwide.

Companies must be recertified regularly, based on the requirements as set out by the certifying body. This ensures that organizations will continue to adhere to the stringent guidelines assigned to the certification process.

Who are the certification bodies?

Among others, Forestry Timber is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Candidate Schemes™ (PEFC), FloorScore® and Eurofins®. Each of these certification bodies works to ensure that engineered hardwood floors shipped to distributors worldwide and installed for the end consumer are of the highest quality and have maintained the highest standards from the very beginning of the supply chain.

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)

The FSC® is an international organization, established in 1992, committed to promoting “environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. With 10 guiding principles and 70 criteria to become an FSC®-certified forest, the certification process is rigorous and exacting. Forestry Timber has been certified by the FSC® since 2009: Certified COC #SGSHK-COC-006228.

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Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC)

The PEFC™ acts as an umbrella organization, endorsing national forest certification systems and forming partnerships with organizations from around the world. Forestry Timber has been PEFC™ certified since 2018.

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FloorScore®

FloorScore® is one of the most recognized indoor air quality (IAQ) standards for hard surface flooring materials and adheres to the CARB and EPA guidelines for VOCs in the USA.

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Eurofins®

Eurofins provides analytical testing services by independent laboratories to numerous industries worldwide. They test for a full range of VOCs, ensuring wood products do not exceed the limits as set out by numerous countries worldwide.

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What do the various certifications mean to consumers?

People around the world are becoming more aware of the origin of the products they purchase and the process by which they are transformed from raw materials to their finished state. It is important to consumers to know that the money they spend is not contributing to illegal or unsafe practices. Each of the certification bodies work to ensure that the engineered wood flooring installed for the end-customer meets or exceeds exacting standards as laid out by international bodies. The various certificates lend credibility and peace of mind, to both distributors and the end-consumer: ensuring that environmental protections are in place, maintaining ecosystems and keeping the livelihood of people that depend on forests intact.

Forestry Timber takes environmental responsibility very seriously, using only legally sourced timber from sustainably managed forests and meeting stringent environmental guidelines to ensure our product is the best it can be.