29 March 2024, 07:30
By Furniture News Jul 18, 2013

New course to help source sustainable timber

A new workshop for companies aiming to achieve FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is being held on Thursday 15th August.

The Chain of Custody Awareness Workshop, run by FIRA, is designed to provide delegates with a key understanding of Chain of Custody (CoC) and the requirements of the FSC and PEFC standards.

Established sixty years ago, FIRA has unparalleled industry knowledge, raising performance throughout the furniture supply chain by offering research, information, testing, consultancy, customer service and after sales service to the furniture and DIY markets.

James Bell, FIRA’s environmental consultant, who is running the course, says: “Today, timber supply chains are long and complex and as a result are difficult to trace to source, often stretching across many countries. It is now a regulatory requirement that the source of timber must be traceable to ensure it has not been illegally harvested, but just because timber has been acquired legally doesn’t mean that it is from a sustainable source. Chain of Custody certification offers full traceability through all stages of the supply chain and provides verification that timber originates from well managed forests as well as helping to prove the legality of the timber.

This course will help delegates to understand how to develop and implement a Chain of Custody system to meet the requirements of both the FSC and PEFC standards, which will also provide a key mechanism for timber legality assurance.

This one day course will consist of theory sessions together with practical workshops to provide delegates with the necessary skills and expertise to develop and implement a Chain of Custody system that meets the requirements of FSC and/or PEFC. It will cover the background and history of sustainable timber, interpretation of the FSC and PEFC Standards, developing, implementing and maintaining a CoC system, calculation methods, supplier sourcing and validation, labelling requirements and the audit and certification process.

The course is aimed at manufacturers, retailers, specifiers and suppliers who are interested in Chain of Custody certification.

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