Standards New Zealand has initiated a project to determine whether New Zealand should adopt the Australian Standard on sustainable forest management (AS 4708). Source: Timberbiz
A wide range of national organisations have been invited to put forward representation, and a committee is being constituted from those who have put forward representatives.
In addition to, and separate from, the current work under way in New Zealand, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has received a proposal from the Standards bodies of Brazil (ABNT) and Germany (DIN) to develop a new international Standard on Chain of custody of forest-based products.
This Standard has a different scope to that proposed in the New Zealand project.
The scope of the proposed project is standardisation in the field of forest management requirements for a chain-of-custody control system for forest products.
The proposal states that an international Standard is needed in this area to promote the traceability of the production chain for legally and sustainably produced goods, so that all stages of production are verified.
Standards New Zealand is consulting with key stakeholders in this area to determine New Zealand’s response.
Comments, which must be lodged by 15 August, will be used to form a New Zealand position on this proposal.
