KEY ISSUES: SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT
Illegal logging
Illegal logging occurs when timber is harvested or traded in violation of relevant national or sub-national laws or where access to forest resources or trade in forest products is authorised through corrupt practices. Forest products sourced from illegal logging currently compete in the marketplace against Australian products legally sourced from sustainably managed plantation forests.
A report commissioned by the Australian Government 'Overview of Illegal Logging' Jaakko Poyry Consulting (2005) estimates that 9 per cent, or $400 million worth of Australia's timber imports, originate from illegally logged sources from over seas. Key problem areas are Indonesia, Malaysia, and possibly China. The products most affected are wooden furniture, paper and paperboard, wood-based panels, sawnwood, doors and mouldings.
A3P member guidelines on illegal logging
A3P is the only Australian national forest industry association with guidelines on illegal logging. Our guidelines provide A3P member companies with a practical framework for demonstrating legality and control within their supply chains.
Two major outcomes can be reached by implementing these guidelines: we can increase consumer confidence in the sustainability of forest products generally, and we can assist the market to value the performance of companies in terms of their environmental management. A3P encourages all members of the Australian forest and wood products industry to follow our lead and develop a practical solution to illegal logging.
Download A3P's Member Guidelines Adobe PDF | 0.1Mb
A3P is the only Australian association to have endorsed the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations' (ICFPA) global CEO Leadership Statement addressing illegal logging and other sustainability issues. The statement was signed by 56 industry leaders representing forest products companies and associations from 25 countries, meeting in Rome, 2006.
The statement commits ICFPA members to measures including only purchasing legally sourced wood and fibre and promoting forest certification as a tool to verify legality and demonstrate sustainability.
Download the CEO Leadership Statement Adobe PDF | 0.1Mb
Australian Government policy paper
The Australian Government has released a policy paper 'Bringing down the axe on illegal logging - a practical approach' which proposes solutions to the complexities surrounding the issue of illegal logging. The paper calls for industry to implement voluntary codes that help gauge the legality of imported forest products. The policy paper is available to download from: www.daff.gov.au/illegallogging.
A3P participated in the development of the policy paper by preparing a submission to the Australian Government's review of the mechanisms and policies that could be used to demonstrate the legality of timber imports. A3P's submission welcomed the Australian Government's proposed measures to address the importation of illegally logged forest products but called for tighter controls to exclude all illegally logged forest products from Australian markets.
Read A3P's submission or download A3P's media release Adobe PDF | 0.1 Mb
Timber Information
Free technical information on the source, selection, properties and other atributes of plantation timber based products available for use in building and construction applications.