Responsible Wood Sourcing

In the context of the forest products industry, responsible wood sourcing (purchasing) refers to a buyer’s adoption of policies and practices that reward suppliers using wood and fiber from well-managed forests or from recycled products and discourage suppliers using wood from unknown, illegal or otherwise controversial sources.

The business case for responsible purchasing begins with the need to sustain raw material supplies and extends to satisfying the ethical concerns of consumers, shareholders and employees. Responsible purchasing is the means by which a company can distance itself from the problems of illegal logging and forest destruction, while helping to create a forest products industry that helps conserve valuable forests, respects the interests of local communities and workers and does not run down its resource base.

The Stepwise approach

The GFTN has published The Responsible Purchasing of Forest Products Guide to help companies develop and implement a program for responsible procurement of wood products using a stepwise approach to phase out wood from unknown, illegal or controversial sources. The guide also recommends the buying organization to continuously increase the proportion of products from credibly certified forests.

Additionally, the GFTN also offers the Keep It Legal manual for organizations wishing to extend a program of responsible purchasing to further address difficulties arising from possible trade in “illegal” forest products.