The launch in April of the Timber Trade Federation‘s Conduct Assurance Scheme, more popularly known as the Code of Conduct, witnessed the single biggest tangible benefit of Federation membership to be introduced for some years.

The demand for such an initiative had been growing within the membership and the past 12 months have been spent developing and discussing the scheme’s detail.

The timber industry has been plagued with a small minority of operators who did not trade honestly or fairly. Not only did this give them a short-term competitive advantage over the honest and fair trader but it also damaged confidence in timber and timber products.

The Conduct Assurance Scheme aims to do three things:

  • To strengthen the marketing position of members.

  • To improve consumer and government perception of our sector.

  • To improve our reputation and enlarge our market share.

The Conduct Assurance Scheme consists of the Code of Conduct and the Codes of Practice. The Code of Conduct sets the principles by which members agree to behave. This involves a commitment to trading fairly and responsibly. Members will not knowingly misrepresent facts or mislead any customer or supplier concerning any aspect of the goods and services they provide.

They must conduct their business lawfully and comply with all relevant legislation. They are required to behave at all times with integrity and act responsibly and with care in the conduct of their business and to respect confidential information to which they may become privy.

Members are committed to conducting their business in a professional manner, selling their services and products in accordance with the relevant Codes of Practice, which cover softwood, hardwood and panel products.

The Codes of Practice aim to assist members in the promotion of their company’s efforts to supply accurately marked and labelled products and to ensure the exposure of those known to be breaching the Code as a result of wilful product mis-labelling or mis-marking.

Commodity codes

In addition to the individual commodity codes, all Federation members aim to minimise their impact on the environment and source their timber and timber products responsibly. This commits the industry for the first time to a minimum environmental standard.

The Conduct Assurance Scheme is intended to assist members of the Federation to maintain and improve the standards of conduct within the industry by assuring all those who deal with Federation members that they are conducting their business with reputable organisations.

All our members are committed to providing clear, responsive and user-friendly procedures in dealing with complaints. Should this fail to deal with a problem, then a customer can initiate a complaints procedure, which operates in association with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. This ensures a fully independent procedure for investigating any complaints lodged under the Code of Conduct.

Members are required to provide adequate training and instructions to their employees and agents, bringing the contents and application of this Code and its principles to their attention and requiring such employees and agents to carry their duties in accordance with the Code. They are also required to make known and publicise the existence of the Code and, where appropriate, provide details of the complaints procedure.

Our members

The overriding aim of the TTF is to promote the interests of our members. The Conduct Assurance Scheme does this by ensuring that consumers are protected from rogue traders. This in turn boosts consumer confidence and provides a way of maintaining market share against competitor materials.

Customers will have the confidence that, should they be let down by one of our members, they will have a guaranteed mechanism for having the problem sorted out. Parts of the industry not covered by this assurance scheme cannot give their customers that vital guarantee backed up by independent arbitration.

For far too long a very small minority of disreputable operators has been damaging the reputation of the rest of the industry. For the first time those conducting their business in accordance with the Conduct Assurance Scheme will be able to use it to promote themselves against those who do not offer their customers similar protection.