Recycled Wood - Timber and Timber based Products - Operator Obligations

Overview

In this guide, we will walk through operator obligations, for recycled wood that has completed its life cycle.

Timber and Timber based Products - Operator Obligations

Each operator shall maintain and regularly evaluate the due diligence system which it uses, except where the operator makes use of a due diligence system established by a monitoring organisation referred to in Article 8. Existing supervision systems under national legislation and any voluntary chain of custody mechanism which fulfil the requirements of this Regulation may be used as a basis for the due diligence system

Traders shall, throughout the supply chain, be able to identify:

(a)	the operators or the traders who have supplied the timber and timber products; and

(b)	where applicable, the traders to whom they have supplied timber and timber products.

Traders shall keep the information referred to in the first paragraph for at least five years and shall provide that information to competent authorities if they so request.

The due diligence system referred to in Article 4(2) shall contain the following elements:

(a)

measures and procedures providing access to the following information concerning the operator’s supply of timber or timber products placed on the market:

—	description, including the trade name and type of product as well as the common name of tree species and, where applicable, its full scientific name,

—

country of harvest, and where applicable:

(i)	sub-national region where the timber was harvested; and

(ii)	concession of harvest,

—	quantity (expressed in volume, weight or number of units),

—	name and address of the supplier to the operator,

—	name and address of the trader to whom the timber and timber products have been supplied,

—	documents or other information indicating compliance of those timber and timber products with the applicable legislation;

(b)

risk assessment procedures enabling the operator to analyse and evaluate the risk of illegally harvested timber or timber products derived from such timber being placed on the market.

Such procedures shall take into account the information set out in point (a) as well as relevant risk assessment criteria, including:

—	assurance of compliance with applicable legislation, which may include certification or other third-party-verified schemes which cover compliance with applicable legislation,

—	prevalence of illegal harvesting of specific tree species,

—	prevalence of illegal harvesting or practices in the country of harvest and/or sub-national region where the timber was harvested, including consideration of the prevalence of armed conflict,

—	sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council or the Council of the European Union on timber imports or exports,

—	complexity of the supply chain of timber and timber products.

(c)

except where the risk identified in course of the risk assessment procedures referred to in point (b) is negligible, risk mitigation procedures which consist of a set of measures and procedures that are adequate and proportionate to minimise effectively that risk and which may include requiring additional information or documents and/or requiring third party verification.

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