July 2005

26 Members sign up to RPP

18th July 2005

Twenty-six members of the Timber Trade Federation have signed up to the organisation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy, covering around 30% of the volume of wood traded in the UK.

Launched earlier this year and welcomed by Government and NGOs, the policy provides TTF members with a tool to show they are continually improving the sourcing of environmentally sound timber.

Gunther Hentschel, TTF’s RPP Manager said:

“We are delighted with this response from our members. It is a really solid start to the roll out of the scheme.”

TTF Chief Executive said:

“Our industry’s environmental credentials are second to none; the RPP actually proves it. And with increasing numbers of specifiers demanding wood from well-managed forests, will help TTF members compete for contracts where certified wood is not always available”

For further information contact John White on 020 7839 1891

Notes to Editors:

1. The Timber Trade Federation is Growing the Use of Wood through the political, promotional and technical representation of its members’ interests.
   
   
2. The RPP, launched earlier this year, was developed to give TTF members a way of demonstrating their environmental commitment by providing them with a tool to assess their suppliers’ environmental performance objectively and work out ways to continuously improve it. 
   
   The process runs as follows:
   
   Having appointed someone to be in charge of the process the company makes an assessment of its suppliers. Any suppliers who sold your company only certified timber are excluded from the process. Of the remaining suppliers, these are ranked according to the amount of business the company does with them and the country from which their products come. Half of these suppliers are then assessed in Year 1. They are asked to complete a questionnaire about their environmental policies and systems.
   
   Once the questionnaire is returned, the supplier is scored as high, medium, or low risk on the basis of the responses and accompanying documentary evidence. The company then determines how it can improve the amount of timber it can source from lower risk suppliers and works toward achieving that. The target is entirely a matter for the company. These two elements constitute the Management Report described in the flow chart. Together these provide a way to achieve continual improvement in softwood suppliers or tropical hardwood suppliers.
   
   An independent third-party audit is required to give the RPP credibility and will cost between £275 and £950 depending on the size of the company.
   
   
3. The 26 companies are:
   
   A.W. Champion,
   Arnold Laver & Co,
   BSW Timber,
   Caledonian Plywood Company,
   Channel Woodcraft,
   CIPTA,
   Finnforest,
   Latau Dick & Co,
   Frank Gresham & Co,
   Gill & Robinson,
   Hoppings Softwood Products,
   Howarth Timber,
   James Latham,
   John Robertson,
   John Wright Panel Products,
   Merlwood Timber,
   Morgan & Co Strood,
   PT Agencies,
   Price & Pierce Softwoods,
   Wolseley UK t/a Builder Center

Mark Plews elected Vice-President of TTF

6th July 2005

Mark Plews, Chairman and Managing Director of UCM plc, was today elected Vice-President of the Timber Trade Federation at the organisation’s London AGM.

Plews, 42, is currently heading up the TTF’s Fees and Structures Working Group and was until recently Chairman of its Top 15.  He was involved in a management buyout of UCM in February 1993 following a highly successful banking career in the City.

Following his election, Plews said:

‘I am delighted and honoured to be taking on this role at such an important time for the Federation and look forward to working with the President, John Tong.  The opportunities for wood have arguably never been greater.  With a strong TTF leading the industry we will be able to deliver better member services and more effective lobbying to ensure we grow the use of wood.’

TTF President, JohnTong, said:

‘Mark will make an excellent Vice-President of the Federation and I look forward to working with him as we continue to develop the organisation.’

For further information contact John White on 020 7839 1891

Notes to Editors:

1. The Timber Trade Federation is Growing the Use of Wood through the political, promotional and technical representation of its members interests.
2. The AGM was held at Clareville House, 26/27 Oxendon Street, London SW1Y 4EL

TTF launches RPP on-line

5th July 2005

The TTF today launched RPP on-line, a service that electronically administers the organisation’s Responsible Purchasing Policy.

The service, designed and run by timber tracking specialists, Track Record, allows members to outsource nearly every part of the RPP process from disseminating questionnaires to assessing suppliers.

TTF Chief Executive said:

‘As evidence of sound environmental practice is increasingly required by specifiers and customers, this service will give members the opportunity to immediately build the RPP into their companies and compete for that business.’

Track Record Managing Director, Frank Miller said:

‘We are delighted to be working with the TTF on such an important project. Our previous work in the industry has demonstrated that we can deliver top class solutions that are simple to use and don’t break the bank.’

For further information contact John White on 020 7839 1891

Notes to Editors:

1. The Timber Trade Federation is Growing the Use of Wood through the political, promotional and technical representation of its members interests.
   
   
2. RPP on-line is a service with a modest fee of £48 per supplier – there is no high upfront investment. It offers:
   
   a. Buyers simply enter supplier and related product details on Track Record’s website and Track Record does the rest. This includes chasing suppliers, handling queries, storing objective evidence, RPP-assessing suppliers replies, proposing ameliorative actions and generating management reports
   b. Management reports (regularly updated) covering suppliers contacted, respondent details, supplier ratings, objective evidence gathering, proposed ameliorative measures – with all reports being available 24 hours a day via Web Browser
   c. High levels of security and confidentiality are provided using encryption with access via passwords and pre-registered user ID
   d. Additional question sets can be added to fit TTF members specific needs
   e. Designed to make independent audits simple, enabling auditors to readily verify RPP compliance, with Track Record absorbing it’s clients RPP audit costs.
   f. Track Record is developing ways of reconfiguring captured data so that it complies with CPET and other ‘responsible buyer’ programmes.
   
   
3. The RPP, launched earlier this year, was developed to give TTF members a way of demonstrating their environmental commitment by providing them with a tool to assess their suppliers’ environmental performance objectively and work out ways to continuously improve it. The process runs as follows:
   
   1. Having appointed someone to be in charge of the process the company makes an assessment of its suppliers. Any suppliers who sold your company only certified timber are excluded from the process. Of the remaining suppliers, these are ranked according to the amount of business the company does with them and the country from which their products come. Half of these suppliers are then assessed in Year 1. They are asked to complete a questionnaire about their environmental policies and systems.
   
   2. Once the questionnaire is returned, the supplier is scored as high, medium, or low risk on the basis of the responses and accompanying documentary evidence. The company then determines how it can improve the amount of timber it can source from lower risk suppliers and works toward achieving that. The target is entirely a matter for the company. These two elements constitute the Management Report described in the flow chart. Together these provide a way to achieve continual improvement in softwood suppliers or tropical hardwood suppliers.
   
   3. An independent third-party audit is required to give the RPP credibility and will cost between £275 and £950 depending on the size of the company.

TTF calls on G8 to deliver on illegal logging

1st July 2005

The Timber Trade Federation today urged the Prime Minister to resist US pressure to water down G8 commitments to fight illegal logging.

In a strongly worded letter, TTF President, John Tong, told Mr Blair that the timber trade was working with both suppliers and customers to combat the illegal trade. But Governments needed to play their part and turn the sentiments of the G8 Environment and Development Ministerial meeting in Derby in March, into firm action. 

Turning will into action, he said, ‘would be a real testament to the UK Presidency’.

The letter highlighted recent press reports that suggested the United States Government was looking to water down the G8’s commitments to fight illegal logging such as utilising public procurement policies to stimulate demand for legal timber from well-managed sources. It also expressed concern that the media emphasis on poverty reduction in Africa could result in debates on other important issues being less robust. 

Mr Tong added that the issue was itself an important element in addressing climate change and poverty reduction in Africa.

For further information contact John White on 020 7839 1891

Notes to Editors:

1. The Timber Trade Federation is Growing the Use of Wood through the political, promotional and technical representation of its members’ interests.
2. The G8 Environment and Development Ministers met in Derby on 17 – 18 March 2005. The resulting statement identified a number of ways G8 members could fight illegal logging. The statement is available on the Gleneagles G8 website.
3. Mr John Tong is President of the TTF and Managing Director of FinnForest UK Ltd.