Some of the UK’s biggest plywood suppliers and retailers are risking falling foul of the EU Timber Regulations, according to new testing figures from BM TRADA.
BM TRADA results show that 50% of wood samples analysed for timber industry and non-timber industry clients since January 2015 were not of the reported species.
The figures follow the National Measurement Office’s (NMO) Chinese plywood enforcement project revealed that, of 16 companies investigated, 14 submitted insufficient due diligence systems.
Nick Clifford, timber species expert at BM TRADA: People have suddenly woken up to the fact that they are at risk.It has pushed EUTR right up the list of priorities.What we are finding is that around half of the samples we have tested are not what they are purported to be. They might not be an endangered species, but in many cases, we’ve found a lower value species used in favovur of another.
Mr Clifford said that the biggest challenges were around the use of eucalyptus and poplar.
One of the big plywood suppliers keeps finding the product is not what it is supposed to be. It is common practice to use poplar as an internal veneer and then another decorative veneer from a different species – on the outside to improve the aesthetics.
While this would not necessarily be taken as evidence of underhand activity, suppliers have a responsibility under EUTR to provide the correct claims.
It means that companies are now taking EUTR and due diligence more seriously by not just relying on paperwork and carrying out timber species verification testing.
Timber species verification can be used to assess whether timber either in its raw’ form or when manufactured into a product is the species it is claimed to be in the accompanying document. Timber species verification provides a useful additional tool when used as part of an organisation’s due diligence system.
From an EUTR perspective all the species contained in a product or item must be included on the accompanying documentation, and can therefore be subject to scrutiny.
BM TRADA are able to examine timber samples to confirm whether they are made from the wood claimed in accompanying documentation provided by your supplier.
Exova BM TRADA,
Chiltern House,
Stocking Lane,
Hughenden Valley,
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire,
HP14 4ND
Visit Exova BM TRADA's website
Abloy UK is proud to announce its Aperio E100 and SMARTair solutions have successfully achieved PAS 24 certification.
Posted in Access Control & Door Entry Systems, Architectural Ironmongery, Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Regulations & Accreditations, Building Services, Doors, Facility Management & Building Services, Health & Safety, Retrofit & Renovation, Security and Fire ProtectionFor architects and designers looking to avoid traditional skirting boards, architraves and cornices, Renderplas offers its range of PVC plasterboard shadow gap beads for dry lining systems.
Posted in Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Floors, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Posts, Render, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, WallsMembers of the MCRMA, the trade association for the metal cladding and roofing industry, had an exclusive opportunity to explore and discuss the changes affecting the construction sector at the first of the association’s roadshow events hosted by Siderise at its HQ and manufacturing facility in South Wales.
Posted in Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry Events, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Regulations & Accreditations, Building Services, Cladding, Exhibitions and Conferences, Health & Safety, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Seminars, WallsThe latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report shows builders’ merchants’ value sales were down -2.1% in January compared to the same month in 2023.
Posted in Articles, Bathrooms & Toilets, Bathrooms, Bedrooms & Washrooms, Bricks & Blocks, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Services, Building Systems, Civil Engineering, Concrete, Cement, Admixtures, Doors, Drainage, Drainage Services, Facility Management & Building Services, Glass, Glazing, Hard Landscaping & Walkways, Interior Design & Construction, Interiors, Kitchens, Landscaping, news, Paints, Paints, Coatings & Finishes, Pipes & Fittings, Plumbing, Posts, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Site Preparation, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency, Timber Buildings and Timber Products, Waste Management & Recycling, Windows