Timber Trade Regulation (EU)

The EU Timber Trade Regulation distinguishes between the obligations of market participants who place timber or timber products on the market for the first time, and the obligations of dealers who buy and sell timber or products from timber that was already on the internal market. Dealers in timber just have to ensure reverse traceability in that they document information about their suppliers and customers. Transactions with end users are unaffected by this.

The market participants, on the other hand, have an obligation to exercise diligence and thus have to establish a transparent risk management system. The primary objective is reverse traceability, documentation of the delivery chain of the timber and assessment and reduction of the risk that illegally logged timber will somehow find its way into the EU. Entrepreneurs might have to have samples of timber examined in a laboratory before they are allowed to market it.

It is up to the companies to decide whether they build up a risk management system themselves or take recourse to a system of an approved monitoring organization. We support our customers both with assessing risks and with selecting and implementing a suitable risk management system.