Rainforest Alliance

Listed at less than US$200 by a discount website, a bureau can seem like a bargain too great to pass up. That is until you consider the true cost of that piece of furniture -- the community, the forest and the ecosystem affected by its production.

How can you ensure that you're buying paper, furniture and building materials that are harvested in a way that's beneficial to people, wildlife and the planet? (A particularly challenging task when you consider that between 50 and 80 percent of all logging in countries such as Indonesia, Cameroon, Bolivia and the Brazilian Amazon is estimated to be illegal.) For starters, you can purchase goods exclusively from companies that are working to verify the legal status of the wood they source.

The Root of the Issue

Around the world, illegal logging and its associated trade continue to destroy forests and undermine the economic well-being of legitimate businesses and local communities. "By creating unfair competition, illegal logging can pose severe challenges to legally operated, responsibly managed forest companies," explains Christian Sloth, verification services manager for the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program. "As awareness of the problem grows, both the private sector and national governments have begun taking steps to combat it." Responsible businesses are pursuing voluntary certification and verification, while governments are strengthening their laws and working to improve the transparency of the wood products trade. [Learn more about important new wood legality legislation in the US and the European Union.]

The Rainforest Alliance has developed two comprehensive standards for verification of legal origin and legal compliance, as well as procedures for the independent, third-party verification of wood legality. Through our SmartWood program, we are helping forest products companies ensure that the timber they purchase comes from verifiable, legal sources and that timber harvesting complies with relevant laws and regulations related to forestry.

Just how rigorous are our verification services? Greenpeace has rated the Rainforest Alliance the highest among seven major verifiers of the legality of wood sources. In a 2008 report, the nonprofit noted that our SmartWood program "is the only scheme truly developed in a balanced, multi-stakeholder manner and the only to require 'prior informed consent' of indigenous people in its standards."

You Can Make a Difference

It may take a bit of leg work, but it's not impossible to find legal wood products. The following labels, which may appear on or off product, are your best assurances that wood and paper products have been harvested legally: the FSC label, FSC/Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seals (used in conjunction), the Rainforest Alliance logo (used off-product only, to indicate Verification of Legal Origin or Verification of Legal Compliance status). The presence of one of these marks or claims is the best way to identify wood that is harvested legally -- and in the case of the Forest Stewardship Council label (used alone or with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal), an assurance that wood is harvested according to rigorous standards for responsible forest management.

While by no means foolproof, you can also ask retailers questions to get a clearer idea about the legality -- or illegality -- of specific wood and paper products. Inquire about the paper or wood's country of origin, as it's often a good indicator of legality. (In a number of countries, the vast majority of timber is harvested illegally). Another option: ask what species of wood makes up the bulk of the product. Certain species (for example, big-leaf mahogany, rosewood and teak) are more endangered than others. A good rule of thumb: avoid these species -- and wood harvested from major offending countries-- unless certified by a reputable body like the FSC.