Traceability and legal origin should be the norm for conducting business and trade in wood markets globally. Recommending a new report by World Resources Institute, outlining best practices in timber traceability systems in #Brazil, #Colombia, #Peru, #Ecuador, #Guatemala, #Honduras and #Panama, including key lessons learned from Imaflora – Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola and BVRio, two long-term strategic partners of Good Energies Foundation.
As highlighted in the report, buyers are increasingly required to comply with regulations, such as the United States #LaceyAct and the European Union Timber Regulation, by assessing and managing the risk of sourcing illegal #timber in their supply chains. Governments in timber-exporting countries have become increasingly interested in exercising more control over timber supply chains and helping private-sector actors in their countries access these now regulated markets. With artificial intelligence, big data and satellite images becoming omnipresent, soon there will be no place to hide.
The report also correctly emphasizes that #traceability systems by themselves do not guarantee the #legality of the products. A product can be traceable but not necessarily legal. Timber supply chains are complex, and traceability systems often involve changes in approaches, operations management and logistics that require significant financial and labor investments.
Our gratitude to the lead authors Tobias Stäuble, Jerome Laporte, Ruth Nogueron and Maite Knorr-Evans for this valuable contribution. As eco-reckoning is gaining pace among consumers wordwide, companies and investors will have to adjust to demands for supply-chain transparency and traceability. If they don’t, they will soon fail to exist. 🙏🏾🌎🌳