Timber buyers can visit a new resource to learn about the business benefits of trading in FLEGT-licensed timber and the social, environmental and economic benefits that such trade brings to producer countries. The EU FLEGT Facility created the page to inform traders, specifiers, architects and retailers, as well as sustainability specialists and end consumers of timber products. Source: Timberbiz
Combining text, pictures and an animated film, it describes how the EU is working with tropical timber-exporting countries to stop illegal logging and promote trade in legal timber products.
The new resource explains what FLEGT licences are, how they benefit timber buyers in the EU, and how the advantages of FLEGT licensing extend far beyond legality to encompass social, economic and environmental gains in producer countries.
It includes links to multimedia stories that highlight the benefits of FLEGT licensing, and to downloadable resources that can help timber buyers to communicate about FLEGT-licensed products with their customers.
FLEGT-licensed timber products are best known for their verified legality. They automatically meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation so, for operators in the EU, they eliminate the risk of trading in illegal timber.
Less well-known are the considerable social, economic and environmental credentials of FLEGT-licensed products. Yet the trade in these products, and the reforms and improvements that stand behind the licences, are helping ensure that forests contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction, while promoting responsible forest management.
The new webpage is part of the FLEGT licence information point, which the Facility set up in 2016 to provide practical information about FLEGT licences, import procedures, trade scenarios and answers to frequently asked questions.
