On March 3rd, 2013 the European Regulation 955/2010 (known as Timber Regulation) entered into application; it applies to timber and all timber products, including paper. The main goal is to ensure the legal origin of all timber and derived products which are imported and/or traded for the first time within the European Union’s borders.
The Regulation applies to whoever places timber and/or timber products on the European market for the first time (“operators”) and prohibits the introduction and trade of illegally harvested timber; operators will have to exercise a Due Diligence System in order to mitigate the risk of illegally harvested timber products by means of a risk analysis and mitigation approach.
Moreover, the Regulation provides an obligation of traceability for whoever trades within the European market, by keeping record of information referred to suppliers and customers involved.
