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Chain of Custody, Legal Logs
There
are some really big issues with tropical rainforest logging.
I won’t try to cover them all here, just those relevant to our
plywood business.
The first is the question of over
logging. I think that most of
us agree that the destruction of tropical rainforests is a grave matter.
There is a view (and I subscribe to this) that some, controlled and
selective logging for high value end uses is acceptable.
Most countries have government departments who to a greater or
lesser extent try to control logging in their countries and try to ensure
that it is done in a sustainable way.
For us, the important issue is that they issue licences to take
certain logs, and as our part in the global effort to restrain
uncontrolled rainforest destruction, we insist that our plywood is made
from logs taken legally under
such a licence.
The second is the issue of the payment of
proper royalties. The people
who live and work in the places where these logs are taken from are
amongst the poorer people on earth, and I just don’t consider it fair to
steal logs from them just so we can have cheap plywood.
That is why again we insist that the plywood is made from legal
logs on which proper royalties have been paid.
I personally worry about the endangered species such
as the orangutans.
A recent ABC's 7.30 report featured this crisis and it referred to a
prominent Australian source of cheapish plywood which is a subsidiary of a
major Malaysian company which is believed to be involved in illegal log
usage.
Finally, it has been estimated that 20%
of global CO2 emissions come from forest destruction**.
Ethical reduction of wanton forest destruction for low value end
uses is a low cost but highly effective way of making a significant
contribution to the global warming issue.
The way we make our contribution is that
the importer that we deal with has
Australian AS4701 Chain of Custody certification. In addition they
ensure that the mills they deal with have
PEFC certification.
Boatcraft Pacific believes in and
supports the use of
Chain of Custody systems, as well as where
possible, the use of plantation timber.
Ian Phillips, Owner
**Sam
Lawson and Larry McFaul. “Illegal
Logging and Related Trade”
July 2010
Enquiries
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07 3806 1944 ( +617 3806 1944) for how to contact your nearest reseller.
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