The European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) says the wooden packaging and pallet industry is fully equipped to comply with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which came into force on 3 March 2013.
The new EUTR rulings enforce the legal sourcing of timber, outlawing the placing onto the market of timber considered to be harvested illegally, or any products containing illegally harvested timber.
The FEFPEB organisation has released a set of documents to advise its members, including an overview of the EUTR regulations and key responsibilities, and a definition of when a company is classified as an “operator” and when it is a “trader”, with examples.
Gil Covey, president of FEFPEB, says: “Illegal harvesting in European forests is very rare, as the industry already has measures in place to control this and keep our timber traceable.
“Traceability has long been an area of importance and action for FEFPEB and its members, and the extensive work we have carried out on chain of custody, for example, has stood us in good stead for dealing with the new regulations.
“We have developed a number of specific EUTR resources for FEFPEB members to and have kept them up to date with the roll-out of the new regulation.”
According to Covey, the “vast majority” of the timber used by the European pallet and packaging industry is sourced from within the EU, and most FEFPEB members are classed as traders, so will find it “relatively easy” to comply with the EUTR regulation.
“Meanwhile, we have also given those members who are classified as operators, and those sourcing from countries where illegal logging has been more prevalent, the information and tools they need to fulfil their obligations,” Covey adds.
