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UK Timber Trade Federation to only buy sustainable timber

The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) in the UK has pledged to buy only timber from sustainable sources by 2020 as it signs up to the WWF UK’s Forests Campaign. Source: Supply News

TTF’s 300 members include sawmills, manufacturers, distributors and retailers, and account for two thirds of the £8.9 billion UK timber industry.

TTF has pledged to:

  • Support the market to buy timber and timber products from sustainable sources by 2020, including making members’ aggregated performance public
  • Support the call for the EU to close the loopholes in the current EU timber Regulation so that all timber and timber products must be from legal sources
  • Support the call for the UK government and the EU to complete the transition to a market in sustainable timber and timber products by 2020.

The TTF said it had also agreed a number of more focused commitments including using its influence to encourage members to voluntarily make an individual declaration of support to the campaign.

TTF chief executive David Lennan said: “The TTF has supported the campaign in principle since last summer however, we wanted to make sure we played an active role in supporting delivery of the 2020 targets.

“Anand Punja, TTF head of sustainability, has worked constructively with member and the WWF to agree action oriented commitments that can move the industry forward in the right direction.”