Does sustainable tropical timber have a future?

The figures are sobering: more than 20 years after the founding of FSC and PEFC, only 6% of the tropical timber traded worldwide comes from certified sustainable sources. At the same time, between 25% and 70% of the processed tropical wood in the producing countries comes from illegal overexploitation. The data was compiled by management consultants Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) on behalf of the European Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition (STTC) in a market analysis.

And yet it moves

So are all efforts to bring about an ecological turnaround in tropical forestry in vain? No, the authors of the study conclude, because there has been recent movement in the market. The Lacey Act in the USA and the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) in Europe have tightened import regulations on the legal side. It has now become more difficult for illegal timber to enter the European trade.

However, there is a restriction here too: sustainable forest management is not a condition for legal origin. Many countries also confirm the legal origin of timber if it comes from clear-cutting and the former forest areas are now used to grow fodder maize or palm oil. Only the FSC® certificate, which places relatively high ecological demands on forestry and sawmills, continues to offer a reliable compass. The EUTR is only a first step here, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

More certification – but also more market?

A significant increase in certified forest areas was already observed in the run-up to the new stricter regulation:

However, it is the consumer who ultimately decides how sustainable this positive development is. Because certified tropical wood only has a future if there are buyers who attach importance to the responsible origin of their decking boards.

Download the STTC study “Mainstreaming Sustainability in Tropical Timber” (PDF)