Category Review – Timber, wood products and paper
This Category review for Timber, Wood Products and Paper provides guidance for procurement practitioners, information on mandatory requirements, reference material, key contacts and useful links to more information.
Introduction
The timber, wood products and paper review will use the ‘purchasing power' of government departments to guide the market towards the use of legally-sourced and sustainably-produced timber and wood products. Illegal logging is estimated to cost New Zealand producers US$178 million per year through competition from cheap illegally-sourced wood products in overseas markets. In countries where illegal logging is a significant problem there are also widespread social and environmental impacts as a result of this activity.
In 2006, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry developed the New Zealand Timber and Wood Products Procurement Policy (TWPP) in order to address the practice of illegal logging and associated trade. It is designed to ensure that government is buying only legally-sourced timber and timber products. The TWPP will be reviewed in 2008 to assess the practicality of introducing a mandatory sustainability requirement.
This category review reinforces existing policies (including the TWPP), guidelines and advice developed by a number of agencies. Many government departments have already taken steps to implement these polices; the aim of this process is to provide a platform for delivery through main stream government procurement practices.
The intention of the review is to provide a procurement framework that demonstrates the government's commitment to environmental sustainability through showing leadership in addressing illegal logging, supporting the development of international sustainable forestry management and reducing the overall environmental impact of its activities through reducing consumption of resources and energy, toxic emissions and the generation of waste.
The new requirements and guidelines are designed to ensure departments:
- Use timber and wood products from legal and sustainable sources
- Reduce both consumption and the generation of waste.
They apply to products listed on the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry website, which fall into the following broad product groups:
- Rough, sawn and dressed timber
- Wooden structural components
- Plywood and veneers
- Fabricated wood (MDF, Chipboard)
- Wooden furniture, fittings and joinery
- Paper (including copier paper, base stock for printing and sanitary tissue).
Scope and aim of the review
The overarching aims of the category reviews for timber, wood products and paper are to:
- Work with relevant government departments to build on the work already done and identify minimum standards (legality) and targets (expanding sustainability) for the category, based on sustainability attributes or impacts. These standards and targets become the minimum requirement for all future procurements of any timber, wood products and paper
- Develop reference material (including guidelines, tools and templates) to assist procurement practitioners in meeting these standards and targets, and to assist their departments in meeting their Govt3 commitments and developing and achieving their carbon neutrality plan
- Encourage procurement practitioners to take a more holistic approach to procurements within this category, including working with their departments to develop the required measurement and reporting regimes
- Provide a continuous improvement programme to review, validate and improve existing standards, and develop related additional standards and targets together with associated reference material that will be introduced over time. Related categories under consideration are other office consumables, paper-based packaging and printing.
The New Zealand Government is a significant buyer of timber, wood products and paper through: general office consumption (eg, photocopier paper), base stock for printed material (eg, publications), building (eg, construction timber) and office fit-outs (eg, furniture and fittings).
Timber
The government's demand for basic timber is primarily driven by construction and building requirements. Government departments are not only required to source legally-derived timber, they are also required to maintain auditable records of purchases in order to demonstrate that this has been verified. The following requirements extend to third parties such as project management and construction companies.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Timber
Public Service departments are required to:
- ensure they use only legally-sourced timber, in accordance with the New Zealand Timber, Wood Products and Paper Procurement Policy
- take all reasonable steps to ensure timber originates from sustainably-managed sources, in accordance with the New Zealand Timber , Wood Products and Paper Procurement Policy.
- document for audit purposes their verification of the legality and sustainability of timber purchased and
- ensure that the final disposal of construction and demolition timber is undertaken in accordance with the waste minimisation principles set out in the REBRI5 guidelines.
Guidance
The following guidance notes have been developed to help government departments implement the mandatory requirements for Timber procurement:
- The requirements apply equally to domestic and imported timber.
- The requirements apply to all tender contracts and all term-supply contracts. Requests for tender or invitations to supply timber products through need to seek timber derived from legally-harvested sources.
- For existing term-supply contracts it is expected that all reasonable steps will be taken to introduce legally, sustainably-sourced products. In the event that a contract is renewed, the mandatory requirements shall apply.
- Government departments are required to maintain records for audit purposes of timber and wood procurement (including paper) that demonstrate verification of the legality of the harvesting of the forests where the timber and wood products were derived from.
- Government departments entering into building or construction contracts, for which timber will be procured by a prime contractor or sub-contractor, are required to ensure that third parties acting on their behalf also comply with the requirements. Departments will, therefore, need to seek the co-operation of any prime contractors or sub-contractors in meeting the requirements.
- It is also a requirement for government-funded building project proposals for building up to four floors that a build-in wood option is submitted at the concept stage (including sketches and price estimates). For more detail see Cabinet Minute (07) 22/9.
- Remember, it is important that when departments make an approach to market, they inform potential suppliers of the mandatory requirements. This will ensure that any tender submission takes into account the department's obligation to meet the requirements and informs potential respondents of any preference the department may be giving to bids that include timber from sustainable sources.
Example tender clauses
These clauses are examples of wording that may be used. Departments are free to vary them or use their own standard documents. It is important, however, that any clauses used in tender documentation reflect the overall intent of the government in improving sustainability. Sufficient information must also be provided for respondents to be able to provide the correct data for evaluation of the response and compliance with mandatory requirements.
It is also important to make the distinction between product and organisational certification. An organisation may be ISO 14000 certified in terms of its own environmental management systems yet still may not be able to supply products that meet the requirements.
Clause relating to mandatory requirements
"Respondents should note that it is a requirement that timber and wood products are legally harvested and originate from sustainable sources. There are numerous certification schemes in existence and whilst there are other methods of verification these provide the best evidence that a source meets these requirements."
Clauses relating to legal sourcing
"Respondents are required to demonstrate that the timber and wood products proposed to satisfy the [procurement] requirement will be sourced from legally-harvested forests; this can be done by providing:
- Proof of certification from a recognised forest certification scheme; or
- Proof of certification from a stepwise-certification scheme, including chain of custody information which shows that the product has come from a legally-harvested and managed forest; or
- Proof of legality from a legality verification scheme; or
- A declaration that the wood is from a legally-harvested forest. The declaration must include the origin and species of the wood and a declaration that the timber or wood product is from a legally-harvested forest."
Clauses relating to sustainable sourcing
"Respondents are required to demonstrate that the timber and wood products proposed to satisfy the requirement will originate from recognised, sustainable sources. This can be done by providing:
- Proof of certification from a recognised forest certification scheme; or
- Proof of certification from a stepwise-certification scheme, including chain of custody information which shows that the product has come from a sustainably managed forest."
Example contract clauses
Clauses relating to legal sourcing
"All timber and wood-derived products procured by the Contractor for supply or use in performance of this contract shall be derived from Legal Timber. The term ‘Legal Timber' in the context of this Contract Condition refers to timber or wood products from a forest that that has been legally harvested and where the organisation or body that felled the trees and provided the timber from which the wood is supplied or derived had legal rights to use the forest."
OR
"Timber and wood products utilised to satisfy this contract shall be sourced from legally-harvested forests."
Clause relating to sustainable sourcing
"All timber and wood-derived products procured by the Contractor for supply or use in performance of this contract shall be (a) recycled timber or wood products and/or (b) timber and/or wood products from a 'sustainable source' or (c) a combination of (a) and (b). The Contractor will be able to produce verification of this within a period of two weeks if requested by [agency]."
Reference material – How do I identify legally-sourced and sustainably-produced timber?
New Zealand-sourced timber
Timber from New Zealand planted and indigenous forests may be considered sustainably produced where shown to have been legally harvested in terms of applicable legislation, including the Resource Management Act 1991 (eg, a resource consent) or, in the case of indigenous timber, the sustainable forest management provisions of the Forests Act 1949 (eg, a MAF approved management plan or permit). The New Zealand forestry industry has developed a voluntary National Standard for Environmental Certification of well-managed Plantation Forests in New Zealand, which is intended to be compatible with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) criteria.
Certification
One of the main ways to identify sustainably-produced timber is by looking for third-party full certification. The government recognises a number of well-known certification schemes (see Certification Schemes below), and does not endorse any one scheme above others. Certification is also a reliable verification of the legality of timber products.
Certification schemes
Full certification
With forest certification, an independent organisation develops standards of good forest management, and independent auditors issue certificates to forest operations that comply with those standards. This certification verifies that forests are well-managed as defined by a particular standard and ensures that certain wood and paper products come from responsibly managed forests.
Various forest certification schemes operate around the world; there is no single accepted forest management standard. Each system takes a somewhat different approach in defining standards for sustainable forest management. Some schemes are international, others limited to one country or region. Currently The Central Point of Expertise for Timber Procurement (CPET) has identified five certification schemes, listed in the table below, that meet the requirements for certification of sustainable and legal timber sources.
Examples of full certification schemes
The examples listed below are recognised full certification schemes. Some schemes are more rigorous in their approach than others and that this is not an exhaustive list. Note that only those schemes that are both legal and sustainable fully meet the criteria under the New Zealand Timber, Wood Products and Paper Procurement Policy. For information and advice on other certification schemes, please contact either the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry or the Ministry for the Environment.
Step-wise approach to full certification
Many smaller operators, and those in developing countries, do not have the capacity to achieve full certification of forests and/or timber and wood processing and production. In these cases some operators have taken a step-wise approach to certification.
Example of an acceptable step-wise certification scheme
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The Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) was established in March 1999 by companies trading in tropical wood products. The TFT helps its members to implement responsible wood procurement policies. It also helps its members to manage and monitor their supply chains and the forests that anchor those supply chains to move towards FSC certification. |
Example of an acceptable procurement policy-based approach
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The Imported Tropical Timber Group (ITTG) is made up of about 80% of New Zealand timber importers. The group comprises members from New Zealand timber importers and retailers and from environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace International. The ITTG aims to ensure that members import timber in accordance with a charter of understanding including a requirement that members actively seek to import timber from sustainable sources. Not all New Zealand timber importers belong to ITTG. Products labelled with the ITTG ECO timber label are endorsed by the New Zealand Imported Tropical Timber Group. The Charter of Understanding can be found at:
New Zealand Imported Tropical Timber Group [68 kB PDF] |
Validation of legality
All the full and stepwise certification schemes above include legality as a requirement of meeting the conditions of their certification programme.
Some operators may offer a certificate of legality on their products from an accredited certification organisation. It is important to make sure that any proof of legality includes proof of legal harvesting of the forest where the product came from.
Example of a legality validation scheme:
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SGS offers a Timber Legality and Traceability Verification (TLTV), Voluntary Legal Timber Validation (VLTV) and Mandatory Legal Timber Validation (MLTV) to validate legality. These certificates incorporate regular auditing, or continuous monitoring and verification of a company's wood production and tracking information. |
Other evidence
Certification is not the only way to identify sustainably-produced timber. Other equivalent evidence of origin of products from sustainable sources should also be considered. For example, some suppliers may be able to show evidence that they are using the voluntary National Standard for Environmental Certification of well-managed plantation forests in New Zealand. This directs plantation forest owners to take into account environmental and social aspects of forest management and includes various standards on legality, consultation, indigenous rights, health and safety, biodiversity, chemical use and management. New Zealand producers should be able to demonstrate compliance with relevant provisions in regional resource management plans.
ISO standards
Some companies cite the "International Standards Organisation (ISO) 14000 Standard – Environmental Management System (EMS)". This process standard applies to a broader range of activities such as an organisation's products, services, operations, facilities and transportation. Unlike the other certification schemes listed above it does not result in a label.
An ISO 14000 series certification is evidence that the organisation has a management system in place designed to measure its impact on the environment, but does not provide information about actual environmental impacts or whether they are acceptable. Thus an ISO 14000 certification can not be used to confirm timber legality or sustainability.
Assuming legality is proven by another means, ISO 14000 certification may be used as a broader evaluation criterion when considering overall corporate social responsibility. It should not, however, be considered as a replacement or an equivalent to certified sustainable forest management schemes. Contacts
For information and advice relating to the New Zealand Timber and Wood Products Procurement Policy (TWPP) and timber certification schemes contact:
Policy Analyst, Forest Policy Coordination
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0678
Fax: +64 4 894 0745
Email: alison.watson@maf.govt.nz
Useful links
Wood products
The government purchases a broad range of wood products both directly, for example as office furniture, and indirectly, for example as construction materials (chipboard, plywood) where the original timber has undergone a secondary process which may result in the presence of environmentally harmful residues.
Furniture
Office furniture includes chairs and other types of seating, desks, tables, filing and storage cabinets and their associated components and accessories. These can be made from a variety of materials including metal, wood and wood-based products, plastic and fabric.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Wood Products
Public Service departments are required to:
- ensure that wood products purchased are made from timber that is legally-sourced and take all reasonable steps to ensure that this timber originates from sustainably-managed sources, in accordance with the New Zealand Timber, Wood Products and Paper Procurement Policy and
- ensure that the final disposal of construction and demolition timber is in line with the waste minimisation principles set out in the REBRI6 guidelines.
GUIDELINES
Wood Products
- Minimise the use of wood products that use toxic chemicals in either processing or coating
- Avoid/minimise use of wood products containing these ingredients:
- Formaldehyde and other aldehydes
- 4-phenylcyclohexene and other volatile organic compounds
- CFCs or HCFCs.
- Make cost effective use of products carrying a recognised eco-label
Reference material
Use of Eco-labels
Eco-labelling organisations such as those mentioned below provide guidance on their websites about suitable standards to apply when evaluating wood products.
Eco-labelling is a mechanism enabling organisations to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their products. The use of products carrying labels from recognised eco-labelling schemes is a good way of ensuring that the products being supplied meet the desired standards.
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‘Eco-labelling' is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. An ‘eco-label' is a label which identifies overall environmental preference of a product or service within a specific product/service category, based on life cycle considerations. In contrast to ‘green' symbols or claim statements developed by manufacturers and service providers, an eco-label is awarded by an impartial third-party in relation to certain products or services that are independently determined to meet environmental leadership specifications.
Other eco-labels which have similar standards are Good Environmental Choice (Australia), Nordic Swan, EU Flower or Blue Angel (Europe) EcoMark, (Japan), Thailand Green label or China EcoLabel. |
Product Checklist
The following checklist can be used to evaluate products that have no product specifications with environmental criteria or carry a recognised eco-label.
| Do the timber products have a recognised Timber and Timber Product CPET approved certification Scheme, eg, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)? |
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| If timber products are not certified, can you provide other evidence that the wood is sourced from sustainably-managed forests or plantations that limit adverse habitat, biodiversity and toxicity impacts? |
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| If the timber is from a local source, can you provide evidence that the harvest is in compliance with New Zealand environmental legislation? |
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| Does the product contain low-VOC adhesives, paints and finishes? |
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| Was the manufacturing process free of carcinogenic and/or toxic chemicals wherever practicable? How? |
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| Were CFCs or HCFCs used as blowing agents in manufacturing any foam components? |
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| Can product components be reused in other products (re-manufactured) at the end of its life? |
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| Does the product contain recyclable materials such as steel and aluminium? |
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| Does the product contain materials with a recycled content such as recycled PVC or post-consumer PET plastic? |
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| Is the product easy to disassemble? Or does it contain co-injected plastics, ie, materials that contain two types of plastic or plastic and a fibre (which makes recycling difficult)? |
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Related resources and information
Paper
Government departments are significant consumers of office paper. New Zealand as a whole uses about 64,000 tonnes of office paper every year. The environmental impacts of a paper product occur in the following phases of the product's life cycle:
- Managing and harvesting of the forest
- Producing pulp and paper
- Processing the paper product as waste
- Processing production waste
- Post-consumer waste.
The overall provisions of the Timber, Wood Products And Paper Policy apply to all paper purchases made by government departments either directly, or through third parties (eg, advertising agencies, printers), so departments must be able to demonstrate that the products originate from legally-harvested wood and that appropriate consideration has been given to broader sustainability criteria.
The global impacts of paper production and use are significant. These guidelines are aimed at:
- Improving water quality through the reduction of discharges of certain toxic or otherwise polluting substances
- Reducing environmental damage or risks related to the use of energy by reducing energy consumption and related emissions
- The reduction of environmental damage or risks related to the use of hazardous chemicals
- The application of sustainable management principles in order to safeguard forests
- Encouraging the recycling of paper.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Paper
Public Service departments are required to:
- ensure that source timber for paper is legally-sourced and take all reasonable steps to ensure that source timber originates from sustainably-managed sources, in accordance with the New Zealand Timber, Wood Products and Paper Procurement Policy and
- only purchase paper that meets the requirements for achieving a minimum rating of three stars and
- maintain auditable records to demonstrate that the paper sourced meets the requirements above.
GUIDELINES
Paper
- Make maximum use of printers capable of duplex (double-sided) printing
- Set the default for capable printers (networked and stand-alone) to duplex (double-sided) mono
- Align practice with core Govt3 principles relating to the use of paper
- Minimise use of smaller stand-alone and desktop printers, as this significantly reduces the overall costs of printing and reduces paper usage
- Used electronic forms of communication wherever possible
- In cleaning and waste management contracts, include a requirement that waste be suitably segregated and recycled wherever possible.
Five Star Paper Rating Scheme
In order to simplify the identification of suitably-qualified paper products, a 'star' rating system has been introduced. Paper purchased by departments must be capable of achieving at least a three star rating.
Information about this scheme can be found on the Ministry for the Environment website under Govt3: towards sustainable practice
Points to note are:
- This scheme replaces the current system but will continue to be administered by the Ministry for the Environment
- The scheme requires paper suppliers to register and maintain their own product data
- Where a supplier is claiming certification (eg, Environmental Choice, Forest Stewardship Council), the Ministry for the Environment will need to see all relevant documentation before granting them a star rating
- The scheme and related database does not represent government endorsement of any particular product or supplier.
- The database is not comprehensive and government departments are not required to use the products and suppliers listed in the database. Rather, the database is a tool to help departments identify potentially suitable paper products and suppliers to meet their requirements
- Departments using a paper product not listed on the database are still required to satisfy themselves that the product meets the requirements for achieving a minimum three star rating
- The scheme will use the existing data to provide the initial rating for paper products that have been registered already.
How stars are awarded
One star is awarded for each topic area separately up to a maximum of five stars, which means different combinations are possible.
 Mandatory |
Documented evidence that all fibre used to make product was LEGALLY HARVESTED (See Note 1 below) |
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Bleaching by ECF, TCF or PCF – or unbleached (do not buy papers bleached with EC technology). See Note 2 below |
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Documented evidence that at least 70% of fibre used to make product was SUSTAINABLY GROWN AND HARVESTED. See Note 3 below |
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Paper life cycle impacts reduced at pulping and disposal stages by using at least 50% post-consumer RECYCLED fibre to make the product. See Note 4 below |
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Full paper life cycle impacts reduced and verified by an independent third party (Environmental Choice NZ or equivalent standards). See Note 5 below |
| No stars |
Insufficient information provided |
Notes
- Not supporting the illegal timber trade helps protect native forests and people in forest communities, reduces international conflict, and reduces unfair competition against legal operators. Proof of legal forest harvest includes country certificates and labels (see Examples of Full Certification Schemes in the Timber Category Review for details) and third-party audited industry self-claims. For this purposes of this scheme, recycled fibres are deemed to have been collected legally.
- Chlorine-based bleaching has the potential to create persistent toxic organochlorine by-products in the environment as well as deplete oxygen in waterways. TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) and PCF (Process Chlorine Free) are oxygen based and use no chlorine. ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) uses chlorine compounds rather than elemental chlorine, thus substantially reducing (but not eliminating) the risk. Some (but not all) types of ECF technology are near-equivalent to TCF in terms of organochlorine effluent. In addition, there are other potentially persistent eco-toxic chemicals used in the paper-making process. The greatest known risk chemicals are considered in the full life cycle eco-label standards.
- Supporting sustainable forestry ensures that soil resources, biodiversity, forest-related communities and ecosystems are not depleted over the long term. Proof of sustainable forestry is best obtained through a CPET approved certification scheme such as FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council). Industry self-claims (eg, "well-managed forests" or "farmed trees") should be backed up by third-party audit or other documented adherence to good practice standards as a minimum. For the purposes of this scheme, recycled fibres are deemed to have been collected sustainably.
- Buying post-consumer recycled content paper products helps to reduce impacts in two key paper life-cycle areas: energy and chemical impacts of the tree-to-pulp phase, and methane-generation potential of land-filled paper (methane is 21 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas). These two areas make for a net contribution to climate change from the paper industry despite the carbon sink potential of growing trees. Buying recycled paper also supports the economic viability of recycling systems, which have local community benefits in employment and waste reduction. "Post-consumer" includes industrial paper consumers (eg, printers, packaging companies) but not in-house recycling at paper mills (mill broke).
Independently-audited, full life-cycle eco-labels provide a guarantee that the certified paper products have been produced in a way that created genuine reductions in environmental impact, in a number of key areas of the paper life cycle. A list of products that have achieved Environmental Choice certification is available under Environmental Choice New Zealand. Other acceptable recognised third party eco-labelling schemes include:
- Nordic Swan – Europe
- Blue Angel – Europe
- European Flower – Europe
- EcoMark – Japan.
For the purposes of this scheme, environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 and EMAS and eco-labels such as EnviroMark are not deemed to be equivalent as they relate to standards of management rather than demonstrating actual environmental credentials of particular products.
How to use the five star system
Core Public Service departments are responsible for satisfying themselves that the paper they source is capable of achieving a minimum rating of three stars. This means the paper they purchase should fall into one the following four groups.
| Star Rating |
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Legally harvested
(Mandatory) |
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| Bleaching by ECF, TCF or PCF or unbleached |
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| At least 70% of fibre sustainably grown and harvested |
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| Lifecycle impact reduced by use of at least 50% recycled fibre |
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| Environmental Choice or equivalent |
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Contacts
For further advice on recognised eco-labelling programmes for paper products or the application of the five star rating scheme, contact govt3@mfe.govt.nz.
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