B&Q to source only FSC certified tropical hardwood plywood

Sep 29, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Kingfisher’s B&Q UK announced it will now only buy FSC certified material when seeking tropical hardwood plywood, in line with its progressive procurement policy. As of September 2009, all tropical hardwood plywood in B&Q’s stores in the UK will be FSC certified. Certification for the store’s entire supply of tropical plywood is a global first as historically it has been difficult to secure FSC certification for this volume. The plywood is sourced from community owned and private forests in Acre, Brazil’s westernmost state. This area of the Amazon has been a major focus for environmental associations such as WWF Brazil and Greenpeace to help create responsible markets for sustainable activities and help local communities gain FSC certification. There are 370 families involved in the community forestry projects surrounding the production of the retailer’s tropical plywood supply. Requiring hundreds of thousands of sheets of tropical hardwood plywood a year, it is hoped the projects will expand to include a further 300 families. Julia Griffin, Timber Advisor for B&Q said, “All B&Q wood products are sourced sustainably and we are delighted to be the first retailer to gain FSC certification for all our tropical plywood. Now those looking for fully certified tropical plywood will have an easy way to get hold of what they need.” Kingfisher, whose main retails brands include B&Q, recently updated its timber procurement policy which translates its long standing preference for FSC into real commercial buying terms. It specifies only FSC for key tropical hardwood species.