Mayor pledges sustainable wood policy

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was joined by Greenpeace Director, Stephen Tindale, at his weekly press conference, to announce that he is tightening up procurement procedures at the Greater London Authority, to ensure that timber used on Greater London Authority sites has come from responsibly managed forests. The Mayor is instructing his staff to ensure that any timber bought on behalf of the Greater London Authority bears the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) stamp of approval or equivalent standard. FSC certification allows consumers to be sure that wood being used is from environmentally and socially responsible sources ¹. The Greater London Authority has a robust environment policy in place, which already specifies that timber used in Greater London Authority contracts should normally be FSC certified. The Mayor has taken this step to tighten procurement procedures having been advised by Greenpeace that, wood currently being used for work on the restoration of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square has come from an unsustainable source.

Greenpeace advise that the tropical hardwood species used in plywood on Trafalgar Square, bintangor, comes from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea (PNG). A recent report, which reviewed World Bank and PNG government assessments of current logging operations in PNG concluded 'the majority of forestry operations cannot credibly be characterized as complying with national laws and regulations and are therefore "unlawful"'. Results of an earlier Greenpeace investigation into the bintangor trade in October 2005, led several UK Timber Trade Federation members to suspend trade in bintangor faced plywood.

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: 'I want to thank Greenpeace for highlighting the importance of using FSC certified timber. I have now taken a decision to improve our procurement procedures to ensure that any wood procured by the Greater London Authority or any contractors working on its behalf is from a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified source or equivalent standard.

'My vision is for London to be a sustainable world city, which is why I have taken action to raise standards. I, along with Greenpeace, want to boost awareness amongst businesses, organisations and consumers in the capital that whether you are buying garden furniture or wood for construction, by buying timber which is FSC certified, you can be sure that you are not damaging the environment.'

Greenpeace Executive Director Stephen Tindale said: 'It's great that the Mayor has agreed to take immediate action to stop the flow of unsustainable, uncertified timber used on its projects. Nobody wants London to be known as a city that is contributing to the destruction of the world's last rainforests. Now the Mayor has announced that the Greater London Authority will tighten up procedures and enforce its environment policy, it's up to central government to build upon its declared commitment to sourcing sustainable timber and prohibit the import of unsustainable and illegally logged timber entering the UK.'

The Greater London Authority has a robust procurement policy in place, which includes ensuring that environmental issues are proactively addressed in all aspects of the procurement process. The Mayor is asking his officers to work with all the Greater London Authority functional bodies³ to incorporate FSC certification into their procurement procedures.


Notes to editors

1.The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international network to promote responsible management of the world's forests. FSC brings people together to find solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices and to reward good forest management. Through consultative processes, it sets international standards for responsible forest management. Its trademark provides international recognition to organisations that support the growth of responsible forest management.

The FSC product label allows consumers worldwide to recognise products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide. Over the past 10 years, over 73 million hectares in 73 countries have been certified according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 35 countries. For more, visit www.fsc.org/en/about.

2. Where FSC is not being used, the standard to be adopted will be equivalent to standards required by the FSC.

3. Current GLA Environmental Policy states: [We will] purchase sustainably produced timber and timber products (such as joinery, fittings, furniture and veneers), specifying that products carry the Forestry Stewardships Council (FSC) Certificate. If that is not possible then specifying in orders and contracts that suppliers provide independently verified documentary evidence that their timber has been lawfully obtained from forests and plantations that are managed to sustain their biodiversity, productivity and vitality, and to prevent harm to other ecosystems and any indigenous people.

4. The Functional Bodies are Transport for London, London Development Agency, Metropolitan Police Authority and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.