The Sound and Vision campaign, part of London-based environmental and development consultancy Kilimanyika, is making available East African padauk (similar to teak), pod mahogany, panga panga (similar to wenge) and African lignum vitae – all as FSC-certified fair trade hardwoods.

It has already been distributing standard-size samples to UK manufacturers and plans to produce custom product samples in early 2014 for those companies who show serious interest, ahead of a commercial roll-out later in 2014.

This latest move is an expansion of earlier work focusing on Tanzanian blackwood, which has seen the UK’s largest clarinet manufacturer Hanson Clarinets launch the world’s first FSC-certified clarinets using the species.

Neil Bridgland, senior consultant at Kilimanyika, told TTJ that the aim is to be supplying a container per month to the UK within a couple of years, with the products being sold direct to manufacturers, predominantly in the furniture and joinery trades, though Sound and Vision is willing to consider talks with importers. It can also redistribute product to mainland Europe from the UK.

"The most valuable species is African blackwood but as the project has evolved there has been a realisation that there are large amount of other wood species around, some of which are suitable for international trade," he said.

"We are looking to target manufacturers or wood users who are looking for something different to put into their products, those that feel they can leverage the ethical nature of the wood. It is a marketing tool."

Mr Bridgland described African lignum vitae – one of the world’s hardest and densest woods – as looking like Brazilian rosewood, capable of a wonderful finish and also mirroring oil-finished ipé decking. Panga panga, he added, was most likely to fetch the highest price as there was a ready market for its wenge-like looks in the luxury flooring and guitar-making sectors.

He said the Tanzanian FSC-certified forests working with Sound and Vision were capable of producing 1,000-2,000m3 a year for each of the species.