OUR ETHOS
In March 2013 EUTR timber regulation came into force. This new legislation prohibits placing timber and wood products on the EU market that is illegally harvested.
For importers like our selves complying with the regulation can be challenging. We had an advantage in that we already had our in house procurement policy in place, which made EUTR compliance far easier than we first thought. The legislation requires that due diligence is applied to all timber placed on the EU market, with the help of SGS Willis and Gambier are proud to be compliant with this important regulation ensuring the sustainability of all its wood products.
Willis & Gambier recognises that there is a need to be pro-active in assuring that its own timber supplies meet and exceed minimum levels of forest management. We have therefore developed a timber procurement policy, which strives to ensure that all timber used in Willis & Gambier products is fully traceable, fully compliant with legal requirements and finally progressing towards sustainability.
To implement this policy we will cooperate through partnerships with suppliers to make continual improvement in environmental and social performance.
We are committed to the phasing out from our supply chain, timber of unwanted sources and timber that does not meet acceptable legal, human rights and environmental standards.
This commitment is being progressively implemented through a timber supplier programme using a phased approach. The phased approach is based upon the establishment of a number of stages or steps of performance measurement. These stages provide the basis for measuring our overall performance.
Our four stage programme consists of the following:
- Timber from known sources
- Timber from legal sources
- Timber from sources progressing to certification
- Timber from independently certified sources
The objectives of the phased approach are to improve the quality of information about our timber supply base, and by working in partnership with suppliers to gradually improve their supply chain, and ultimately the source forest management performance.
Our long-term intention is to source all timber that we use from forests which have been certified through credible certification schemes.