Responsibility, not restriction

All industries have recognised - or been forced to - that they must minimise their impact on the environment and account for it. Timber is no exception. So what were originally the Timber Trade Federation's (TTF) voluntary guidelines to help tackle the problems of illegal logging have evolved in the last decade into a truly comprehensive framework for responsible purchasing and supply chain management: the Responsible Purchasing Policy (RPP).

As part of the TTF's Code of Conduct, the RPP has become the industry standard due diligence system. It's free for Federation members, and flexible enough to be embedded into existing business systems, or be used off the shelf, but they must use it, or their own approved system, or lose membership.

Over recent years, the RPP has also evolved in line with developments for the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). Indeed, in many ways it acted as the model for how the EUTR can work.

Version 9, which will be launched at a TTF EUTR workshop on February 1, follows EUTR criteria for identifying and managing illegal timber risk. For companies which first place timber on the EU market ('operators'), this means providing all relevant due diligence information, including species trade and scientific name, origin of harvest (including sub-region and concession), volume and supplier details.

The RPP's [illegality] risk assessment criteria are also built around the EUTR's, comprising:

? assurance of compliance with applicable legislation (and, where appropriate, third party certification or legality verification);

? prevalence of illegal harvesting in the country of origin and of specific tree species;

? an assessment of supply chain complexity.

The RPP has a toolkit, including a Risk Assessment and Mitigation Guide, which helps members minimise identified [illegal timber] risks through additional documentation, or third-party verification, for example.

The newer, 'cleaner' version of the RPP will also make it easier to record due diligence outcomes.

A compulsory annual RPP report, submitted by TTF members to approved verifiers, provides extra reassurance of objective, robust due diligence. It ensures members evaluate their due diligence at least once a year, as required by Anand Punja EUTR, and ensures the RPP remains credible.

On the whole, the RPP has been widely accepted by the industry - happily by some, begrudgingly by others! For the most part though, members realise that, without solid assurances on provenance of supply, we will never be able to grow market share in the wider construction industry.

The TTF is also focused on engaging with the supply chain. Upstream we gather intelligence that can feed back into members' risk assessments. Downstream, particularly with the construction and manufacturing industries, we've worked to ensure there is clear understanding about the EUTR, but more specifically the RPP.

The key message to these stakeholders has been that TTF member businesses, equipped with the RPP, are better placed within the industry to manage any foreseeable risk from the EUTR.