Governments are top consumers of timber, much of which is imported. The UK Government demand adds up to 40% of the nation's total timber consumption. Specific procurement policies provide comprehensive guidance on the sourcing of “legal” and “sustainable” timber to Government procurement officials. To facilitate the implementation of the UK Government Procurement Policy on Timber , the Timber Trade Federation developed the Responsible Purchasing Policy.

Also private companies have procurement policies. Corporate policies provide assurance to customers that the products they buy fulfil the environmental criteria set in those policies. As most Governmental procurement policies, they largely focus on the complex concepts of “legal” and “sustainable” timber.

Public Procurement Guidelines

Denmark

United Kingdom/ CPET

Private Procurement Guidelines

B&Q Timber Buying Policy and Standards 2004

Wickes USA: Environmental Practices

The Home Depot: Wood Purchasing Policy

IKEA: IKEA's Position on Forestry

TTF Responsible Purchasing Policy

NGOs

WWF Forest & Trade Network (FTN): FTN 2004: Responsible Purchasing of Forest Products

Greenpeace: Procurement policies

Related documents

EU member state initiatives for sourcing legal and sustainable timber (Chatham House Sep 2005)

FERN 2004: To Buy or Not to Buy: Timber procurement policies in the EU