New standard for tracing wood to sustainable sources

2 July 2015

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The International Organization for Standardization’s upcoming standard for the traceability of wood products, ISO 38001, has now reached the first consultation phase, where ISO members involved in its development have three months to form a national position on the draft and comment on it.

Its development is led by ISO project committee ISO/PC 287, Chain of custody of wood and wood based product', whose secretariat is held by ABNT, ISO's member in Brazil, and co-led by DIN, ISO's member in Germany.

Dr Jorge E R Cajazeira, chair of ISO/PC 287, said the future standard will enable organisations to reassure their stakeholders that the wood they are using comes from sustainable sources.

"ISO 38001 will not only demonstrate that the raw material originates from well-managed forests, but that the final product can also be tracked through its various stages of production," he explained. "This can go towards encouraging the use of traceable wood and even preventing illegally sourced wood from getting into the supply chain."

ISO 38001 is expected to be published in May 2017.