More than $185 million worth of Australia’s forest products supply chain is now certified through Wood Connect, a new chain of custody scheme that makes private certification far more accessible. According to Mark Leech, the scheme operator, Wood Connect operates Australia’s first nationwide group Chain of Custody System and has grown from Tasmania to capture 46 sites from as far away as Central Queensland and Adelaide.
“Our licensees range from a small country (leather apron) sawmill to larger fully integrated operations with nationally distributed products,” Mr Leech said. “From bespoke veneer lighting to solid wood furniture manufacture, from wood pellets to optimised timber components to mass timber and high-end veneer…and from print management to packaging, we are covering forest products in the broadest sense.”
Wood Connect operates under the Responsible Wood Certification System, certified against the Australian Standard for Chain of Custody of Forest and Tree-based Products – Requirements (AS 4707) and internationally recognised by PEFC International. According to Mr Leech, Wood Connect administers “a Group Chain of Custody System, which certification enables the certification of a broad range of businesses under the one certificate.”
“Developed more than 15 years ago, it allows businesses connected in the timber and forest products supply chain to be licenced to use an already certified system where certification costs are spread across the group,” he said. “This makes certification more accessible for all, with all licensees holding Responsible Wood certification, endorsed and recognised by PEFC, the world’s largest forest certification scheme.”
“Most importantly, this means we can help get your products to market as “certified” – whether locally, nationally or internationally.”
Speaking to Wood Central, Mr Leech outlined the seven key benefits of Wood Connect, including:
- We are certified.
- Wood Connect is cost-effective.
- We manage the system and have the trademark licenses and the external certification relationships.
- Wood Connect has a straightforward onboarding process, a one-off application fee, a straight pass and an internal audit pathway to certification.
- We have a single annual license fee based on turnover, no consulting fees, no travel costs, no certification body fees, and no private certification fee.
- Wood Connect do an internal audit every year.
- Finally, we only require an external audit of your business once every five years.
Why certification now matters more than ever
Consumers demand that the wood products they buy are made from timber that can be traced to a sustainable and legal source. With increased scrutiny and attention around ‘conflict timber’, ‘deforestation’, and ‘greenwashing’, there has never been a more critical time to ensure supply chains are credibly ‘clean and green.’
Wood Connect will issue licenses for scheme participants “and charge a one-off application fee followed by an annual fee based on a scale that covers the costs for running the scheme,” Mr Leech said, adding that licenses represent a broad cross-section of sawmills, secondary processors, wholesalers, manufacturers, packaging, and print media to artisans and retail. “We have furniture makers, a guitar maker, designer lights, door and window joinery, timber wholesalers,” Mr Leech said.
- To learn more about Wood Connect, visit www.chainofcustody.com.au today.
