The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has signed up to the Australian Made Campaign to support the push for Australians to choose local products manufactured from Australia’s sustainably managed forests. Source: Timberbiz
The campaign’s CEO Ben Lazzaro said the partnership was a timely one, as it supported the growth of one of Australia’s most important and renewable sectors.
He said the forest products industry was one of Australia’s largest manufacturing industries, employing thousands of Australians, many in regional areas.
“Australian Made looks forward to supporting AFPA and its members with improved access to Australia’s most recognised, trusted and widely used country of origin symbol—the Australian Made logo,” Mr Lazzaro said.
AFPA Chief Executive Officer, Ross Hampton said Australia’s forest products industries use sustainably harvested timber to produce Australian-made renewable products which were used every day in homes and offices around the country.
“That has always been the case, and during the CoVid-19 pandemic our forest products industries haven’t stopped providing essential goods like paper, tissue and cleaning products, as well as cardboard for packaging and timber for pallets and new housing construction,” Mr Hampton said.
“It should be unacceptable to Australians that around $5.5 billion in forest products are imported each year and we have a $2 billion trade deficit,” he said.
“We even import a significant portion of the softwood timber framing we use for our homes. If more Australians buy local timber products, we will help ensure our own people keep their jobs in our sawmills and other timber processing plants in regional Australia.”
