Statement against the illegal timber trade

The trade in illegally logged timber in the European Union should be clamped down on harder. That is the demand by 63 retailing and manufacturing companies and seven associations, which are supporting a campaign by the WWF environmental conservation organisation. They have addressed a statement to the European Commission in which they call for the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) passed in 2013 to be fully implemented. Signatories include the DIY store operators Castorama, Home Retail Group, Hornbach, Kingfisher/B&Q and Travis Perkins. In a Europe-wide survey, 85 per cent of the respondents spoke out in favour of tougher legislation to ensure that only legally sourced timber comes onto the market.