Several hardwood traders meeting in London for a market meeting have reported an upturn in demand for certified products.
The comments were made at last week’s meeting of the London Hardwood Club held at the Honourable Artillery Company and attended by 22 members.
The meeting heard that stocking FSC and PEFC certified hardwood products had become a minimum standard and a norm for many, where such products were available, and that they no longer attracted a price premium in many cases.
Several members reported a rise in demand for certified hardwood in recent months.
Overall more consistent levels of business over the past three to four months had led to cause for optimism for the hardwood trade with “light now more visible at the end of the tunnel”.
Reports from Ghana suggest decreasing wood products output combined with increasing emerging markets demand was creating a very different trading climate in which traditional loyalties were breaking down, making it harder to satisfy the UK’s relatively onerous production requirements.
Meeting speakers included Hank Marchal of Robinson Lumber Europe, Richard Carter of RJC Agencies and Paul Mitchard of Morgans Timber.
