Timber Expo: EUTR enquiries keep Bureau Veritas busy

In an era when environmental performance and reputation have never been more important, it was also underlining its wider range of activities and the global reach of its operation.

According to Bureau Veritas Certification commercial director Jack Tsouranamis, the EUTR had "generated a significant number of enquiries" from the timber industry on legality verification and it was focusing its response on each company's requirements.

"Some might self-regulate and just require advice, on the other hand they may require us to set up an EUTR-aligned due diligence system, or ensure the one they have meets the requirements," he said.

"Others may not have the necessary expertise or infrastructure to ensure regulatory compliance, and need an ongoing, fully-managed service."

Bureau Veritas has been providing independent certification services in the UK since the 1980s and worldwide operates in more than 100 countries, employing more than 6,000 auditors, including 300 wood sector specialists.

"That means if a timber 'operator' needs to check the validity of a Vietnamese supplier's harvesting permit, we have someone on the ground to do it," said Mr Tsouranamis.

Bureau Veritas' EUTR capabilities also look set to grow, with its application, awaiting a decision by the European Commission, to become one of the official Regulation Monitoring Organisations.

Bureau Veritas, said global product manager Flavio Gomes, can also audit and accredit timber and timber-using businesses to the range of environmental standards and certification schemes; from ISO to FSC and PEFC, including chain of custody verification and management.

"It can benefit companies to use a single provider across these areas," he said "And being able to use the Bureau Veritas brand itself adds to the assurance they can give customers."

Mr Tsouranamis said the organisation's involvement with the timber industry can only grow.

"It is not just the risk of fines businesses can face under the EUTR that is increasing the industry's focus [on this area], but the growing risk of reputational damage on environmental issues generally. It can destroy a brand."