Article Number : 2188 |
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| Date | 8/3/2007 9:11:36 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2188 |
| Abstract | Oslo, Norway—For the first time, a strict no-tropical-wood policy has been formalized and adapted on a national level. The occasion is the “Plan of Action for Environmental and Social Responsibility in Public Procurement,” and comes from the Norwegian government... |
| Article | Oslo, Norway—For the first time, a strict no-tropical-wood policy has been formalized and adapted on a national level. The occasion is the “Plan of Action for Environmental and Social Responsibility in Public Procurement,” and comes from the Norwegian government. The plan contains various initiatives for strengthening the environmental and social profile within public procurement and leave no room for doubt: “Tropical wood shall not be used either in the building itself or in materials used in the building process,” the plan states. “We’re very satisfied with the ambitious aims established by the Norwegian government in this action plan,” said Lars Løvold, director of Rainforest Foundation Norway. “The state is a big consumer and an important role model in the society, and it establishes an important example by saying no to all tropical timber. Destruction of the world’s rainforests is one of the major ecological challenges of our time. Every year an area half the size of Norway is being destroyed.” Putting a ban on all tropical wood in public buildings makes Norway an international pioneer in this field, Løvold said. “Hopefully this will inspire other countries to strengthen their policies, too. “We are not fundamentally against logging in tropical forests,” he concluded. “The problem is that today there exists no reliable certification scheme for logging in tropical countries. Until such reliable schemes are in place or we have other ways to secure that logging is made in a sustainable way, we support the government’s decision to ban the use of tropical wood.” |