The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) is warning hardwood traders to be extra vigilant following the discovery of “false” certificates of legality for timber sourced from Africa.
The federation wrote to members of its national hardwood division after certifier SGS distanced itself from a SGS-stamped certificate being offered to the UK trade.
SGS and its affiliated company SGS Congo SA said the “environmental statement” in question, which relates to timber from the Central African Republic and Northern Congo, “has no validity whatsoever”.
The certificate is undated, bears no letterhead, has no author and is signed by a civil servant seconded to the Programme De Controle Des Produits Forestiers a L’Exportation (PCPFE).
SGS’s PCPFE programme director Alain Verney said: “Such misuse of the name and signature of SGS can only throw discredit upon the genuine efforts undertaken in this sector towards more transparency.”
The TTF believes such false claims are likely to become more frequent due to increasing UK demand for assurances that timber is being harvested legally.
It said: “TTF members are asked to be extra vigilant when examining such certificates to ensure that the reputation of the timber trade is not damaged by such misleading claims.”
The federation, which can offer advice about such claims, also reminded members that verified legal timber can be sourced through the newly-signed EU illegal logging project.
SGS has taken disciplinary action against the staff member who signed the bogus certificate.
