In an effort to verify and promote the use of environmentally and socially responsible managed forests by the hardwood industry the National Wood Flooring Association ( NWFA) has launched the Responsible Procurement Program for Hardwood (RPPH).

Designed to recognize wood flooring companies that work to sustain the world’s forests, the program is supported by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a third-party provider of certification, auditing and testing services; Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and the FSC Family Forests Alliance.

While there are numerous green rating programs in existence, Ed Korczak, NWFA’s executive director and CEO, said they still have trouble acknowledging wood as sustainable, thus making its contribution to the overall system difficult at best.

“We had to prove that our U.S. forests were renewably managed, meaning we plant more than we harvest each year,” he explained, “and then find a way to audit and verify mills who produce flooring that has been procured from one of these sites.”

Korczak said the association surveyed the 33 states that provide hardwood to the industry, and every certified forest was found to be renewably managed. However, 83% of hardwood is still coming from uncertified, privately owned land (usually made up of less than 100 acres).

That’s where RPPH comes in.

RPPH recognizes companies that use sustainable resources from responsibly managed forests, as well as those using FSC-certified wood. The program impacts the hardwood flooring industry in several ways, he noted:

• It recognizes the industry as being environmentally responsible.

• It encourages all manufacturers to source their raw materials from responsibly managed/renewable forests.

• It helps to protect the raw materials that provide for the industry’s way of life by discouraging illegal logging.

• It supports fair global trade by helping to reduce the amount of low-cost, often inferior, illegal material from entering the U.S. market.

• It helps to eliminate global warming, which helps to preserve the environment for future generations.

• It recognizes those companies that practice responsible forestry.

“RPPH’s long-term goals are to encourage the use of sustainable wood as recognized by third-party verification programs,” Korczak said, “and to increase the amount of FSC-certified wood available in the U.S. NWFA recognizes that FSC certification offers the highest standard of environmental/social performance in the forest products industry, but currently, there isn’t enough FSC- certified wood available to meet demand.”

Two levels, three tiers

As with many programs, RPPH is structured on two levels that allow both large and small, family-run forests an equal opportunity to become certified.

First, it audits and validates manufacturers that utilize hardwood from renewably managed forests through third-party verification— SCS—offering a three-tier system of certification and labeling. This step ladder approach allows companies to gradually improve their external and internal sourcing and procurement operations.

Tier one requires mills to participate in the NWFA Verified Renewing Forests program— meaning members purchase a certain percentage of wood from one or more of the renewably managed forests across 33 states—and, in return, are able to utilize the “NWFA Verified Sourced from U.S. Renewing Forests” label on hardwood products. It also requires participation in NWFA’s Verified Legal Origin program for imported products from high-risk countries— which verifies proper documentation on the sustainability of foreign hardwood forests used for imports—enabling mills to display the “NWFA Verified Legal Imported” label.

Tier two, which members are asked to attain within three years, takes things a step further, requiring FSC chain-of-custody certification and a commitment to building trade in FSC-certified wood products. Tier two also requires participants to meet FSC Controlled Wood standards for all non-FSC certified supply within two years.

Tier three is the highest level of achievement in RPPH, recognizing companies whose trade in FSC-certified products exceeds 50% of their overall sales and whose non-FSC sales meet FSC Controlled Wood standards.

Korczak said though NWFA has set forth timelines to help mills progress through the various stages of RPPH, they are just guidelines to encourage companies. “As long as a participant is making a good-faith effort, it will maintain its place in the program and/or be promoted accordingly.”

The other part of RPPH is its dealing with the smaller, privately owned forests. The program encourages and rewards those in this scenario to become certified as renewably managed through the FSC Family Forests Alliance. In fact, it plans to offer such incentives as small group harvesting plans to entice landowners to join.

Don Finkell, president of Anderson Hardwood and contributor to RPPH’s formation, said, “The program moves the industry toward better forest management…It aligns the hardwood flooring industry with environmental groups, which I believe is a positive because so much of the industry around the world does not line up positively with environmental groups and are not environmentally correct.”

In August, Anderson and Mullican Flooring agreed to participate in a pilot program with SCS to test RPPH’s audit phase. Neil Poland, president of Mullican said the company wanted to be included because of its belief consumers need assurance their wood floor is made with care and concern for the environment. “RPPH helps provide this assurance by introducing a new label into the market and information into the hands of the consumer.”

In addition, the company feels RPPH is the best third-party procurement program for large volume solid wood mills of domestic species. “It confirms what most manufacturers have known for years,” he concluded, “that U.S. hardwood forests are sustainable. This program, along with NWFA’s life cycle analysis, will help the hardwood industry become known for what it truly is: A naturally renewable product and one that will be a top choice of environmentally conscious consumers.”

For more about NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program for Hardwood, call 800.422.4556.