FEATURE DUE DILIGENCE
Supply chain safety measures As talks surrounding the Brexit trade deal continue it is worth remembering that things will change at the start of 2021. The timber supply chain must look to continue to secure legality in supply chains and employ suitable ‘due diligence’.
F
rom 1 Jan 2021, all UK businesses importing timber from
Timber Regulation. Users of the tool will be provided with the essentials
the EU/EEA and outside will be classified as Operators
of due diligence and gain knowledge of:
and are required to carry out due diligence under the UK’s timber legislation, and vice versa under the well-
• Common high-risk factors to avoid
understood EU Timber Regulation.
• What/ how to report due diligence actions and outcomes
The latest advice from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO is when importing legally harvested timber, you’ll need to carry
• Country case studies (e.g. China) + factory checklist • Useful contacts and references.
out due diligence and use a due diligence checklist to make sure you gather information on the timber – its species, quantity, supplier, country of harvest
This tool has been developed by TTF with support from the
and how it complies with relevant laws, assess the risk of timber being illegal
Soil Association as part of a FCDO-funded project. This tool will be
by applying the legal criteria and mitigate any identified risk, by getting more
continuously reviewed and updated. “With this free, interactive tool,
information or taking further actions to confirm the timber is legal.
timber firms in the UK are gaining a fantastic new resource to undertake
If the timber has a Convention on International Trade in Endangered
and report due diligence,” said David Hopkins, TTF CEO.
Species (CITES) import permit, the UK will recognise it as ‘legally
“This is particularly important for those firms which may find themselves
harvested’ and you will not need to carry out due diligence on this timber.
facing an expanded set of obligations as we shift from EU Timber
You’ll still need to carry out due diligence to confirm the timber is legally
Regulation to UK Timber Regulation.
harvested if you’re:
“As the UK exits the EU Single Market, businesses importing into the UK from the European Economic Area will need to carry out due diligence
• A business importing from non-EU or EEA countries
confirming that the timber product placed on the UK market has been
• A UK producer placing timber on the market for the first time • Carrying out internal UK trade. To help its members and industry as a whole, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has launched a due diligence toolkit to help companies importing and exporting timber and timber products better understand, conduct
As UK companies prepare for conducting due diligence for timber products imported from the EU mainland, this toolkit is aimed to also help new Operators to get on board and ensure that they have the minimum tools to deliver the requirements.
and report due diligence under the EU/UK
Timber Trader UK Magazine
Autumn 2020
20
www.timbermedia.co.uk
@Timber_Media
