WPA appoints BM Certification to expand provision of Benchmark scheme
11 April 2022The Wood Protection Association (WPA) has appointed BM Certification to expand provision of its WPA Benchmark quality scheme for treated wood in the EU region. The move follows significant interest in the third-party accreditation of wood treating plant to comply with changing supply chain requirements in the UK.
Members of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) predominate in the UK timber supply chain. In 2019 they approved an ‘Action Plan’ to grow demand for preservative treated wood. This plan has three parts. Parts 1 and 2 are focused on communications campaigns to raise buyer and supply chain knowledge about how treated wood should be specified and marketed correctly for its end use. Part 3 of the Plan made third-party quality assurance of treatment processes mandatory by July 2022. This requirement is now concentrating the minds of TTF members who produce or sell treated wood.
“The TTF Action Plan has generated a lot of interest in the WPA Benchmark for treated wood scheme – particularly from treaters in the EU region who export into UK,” said WPA director, Gordon Ewbank who confirmed that expansion of the Association’s capabilities to provide Benchmark QA audit services to meet the needs of wood treaters has been a major priority.
“BM Certification has an audit capability second to none and are the perfect partner to help us deliver the benefits and value of the WPA Benchmark to wood treaters in mainland Europe.”
