The global demand for timber and wood products has surged in recent years, but so has the concern for the environmental impact of deforestation and illegal logging.
A transparent supply chain ensures that forest products meet legal and sustainability requirements.
EU Deforestation Regulation has spotlighted the accuracy of timber harvesting data and prevents the trade of protected or endangered woods. This transparency deters illegally sourced timber from being included in EU supply chains and promotes ethical sourcing practices.
Consequently, a supply chain traceability due diligence audit must deliver authentication verifications whenever required.
The EUDR objective refers to the origin of harvested timber to the source by confirming the geo-localisation, date, and time of logging. When applied to timber, it means understanding which forest the wood came from and the conditions under which it was harvested.
This information is crucial as it helps assess the environmental and social impacts of logging. Consumers, regulatory bodies, and businesses increasingly demand accurate provenance data to make informed decisions and support sustainability.
Supply chain traceability covers the complex journey of timber from the forest to the production, mainly a sawmill and further to the final wooden product.
The verification and authentication proof ensures that timber origins can be tracked at every step.
• By embracing timber identification, supply chain traceability, provenance, and a sealed chain of custody, the industry will demonstrate its commitment to sustainable practices.
• By aligning economic interests with ecological stewardship, we can collectively build a world where responsible timber practices are the norm and our forests thrive for generations to come
As consumers, choosing products with verifiable and transparent timber sourcing empowers positive change and encourages industries to prioritise the planet’s well-being over short-term gains.
Technologies are employed to maintain a digital record of each timber’s origin, processing, and distribution.
A critical area is data sourcing, the key to delivering the capability of verification audits securing authentication proof.
A sealed chain of custody ensures that the integrity of the timber’s origin information is maintained throughout the supply chain. This prevents the mixing of legal and illegal wood and strengthens the credibility of sustainable sourcing claims.Â
- Swapan Chaudhuri is working on the world’s first EUDR-compliant Traceability Transparency Harvested Timber Provenance Digitalisation system. For more information, visit Deeplai’s website.
