Sitting on Illegal Wood

Illegal logging is a real problem threatening some of Europe’s oldest forests, as well as forests across the world, putting at risk unique wildlife and habitats, causing greenhouse gas emissions and depleting natural resources. And yet, despite progressive EU legislation, products containing illegal wood continue to appear in our everyday life, from wooden chairs to our favourite books. What can be done?

In 2013, the European Union’s first legislation against illegal logging entered into force, stirring great enthusiasm and setting high expectations for the global fight against deforestation. The EU Timber Regulation aims to ensure that all timber and timber-based products on the EU market are fully legal. As wood is present in many everyday products – from the newspaper we read to the carton packaging of the milk we drink and from the furniture we buy to the frame of our favourite picture – it is important to ensure that all this wood does not fuel illegal or criminal activities destroying pristine forests.

Unfortunately, four years on, illegal wood is still reaching shelves across all EU countries. Besides the usual delays and shortcomings by EU national governments to implement effectively the panEuropean legislation, there is also an important gap in the legislation: it does not cover all wood products! For no clear reason, the law requires, for example, wooden tables sold in the EU to be fully legal, but the same does not apply to wooden chairs…

This situation is entirely illogical and must be fixed urgently. One opportunity to fill this gap will be this year’s review of the product scope of the legislation – this legislation must ensure that all wood products (without exception) traded and sold within the EU borders are ALL legally-sourced.

How much wood is illegal?

Up to 30% of the current global forest production is illegal, with a turnover valued at $30-100 billion. In key tropical countries in the Amazon Basin, Central Africa and Southeast Asia, the rate is even higher with an estimated 50-90% of forest products sourced illegally. The European Union is one of the world’s largest consumers of wood, importing wood and wood products worth about €54 billion.

Illegal logging destroys some of the most unspoiled forests in the world such as the Amazon, the Congo Basin, the Greater Mekong, and some of Europe’s last remaining old-growth forests, especially in Romania and Bulgaria. It threatens wildlife like tigers, rhinos and elephants, and depletes their habitats and the natural resources upon which more than a billion of the world’s poorest people depend. And, what is more, illegal logging increases global greenhouse gas emissions.

Out-of-scope products

The list of the so-called “out-of- scope” products that do not require any due diligence to prove their legality is very diverse. There are some curious surprises and many inconsistencies: for example, products like wooden boats, ships, toys, frames, and even some furniture are currently excluded. It is also strange that paper itself is covered, while printed publications, like books, magazines, newspapers or greeting cards are out of the scope of the legislation. Musicians may be worried about the precious, but possibly illegal, wood of their musical instrument, and (in Brussels) we should be aware that our best umbrella may well be waterproof, but not “illegal-wood-proof”… Reading a book on a wooden chair can now be a highly threatening or destructive activity (from the perspective of forests) but most of us do not know.

Up to 30% of the current global forest production is illegal with a turnover valued at $30-100 billion.

In 2015, WWF commissioned an in-depth analysis to understand the extent and impact of this legal loophole. This study showed that the EU Timber Regulation covers 86% of wood-related items by volume, but only 33% by value. This means that 2/3 of EU imports by value could contain timber of illegal sources. Musical instruments are a good example of a problematic exemption because even if they do not use large quantity of timber, they are often made of precious wood from tropical countries. Testing of garden furniture and other wood products on sale in Germany found a high risk of tropical wood and wrongly declared wood types in 8 out of 13 randomly selected products, including endangered tropical timber from Africa and South East Asia. The total value of all EU “out-of-scope” imports rose from €43.1 billion in 2013 to €46.6 billion in 2014.

In Europe, full use of forest and other cellulosic wastes and residues for biofuel could generate up to US$20 billion of additional revenues annually and up to 300,000 additional jobs by 2030.

Source: FAO Report 2016

Zero illegal wood?

The exclusion of certain products from the regulation has proven to make the fight against illegal logging much less effective so WWF’s position is simple, we advocate an “all-in” approach for all products that are, or may be, made of wood and that contain, or may contain, wood. We believe this is the simplest and most effective way to ensure that no wood from illegal sources is sold in the EU. Bringing more products into the scope of the legislation will mean that more sectors will have to carry out due diligence exercises on their supply chains, but they will benefit from a level playing field and provide a better service to their customers.

About WWF in Brussels

WWF is one of the largest conservation organisations with a presence in over 100 countries in the world. WWF works to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. The European Policy Office helps shape EU policies that impact on the European and global environment.