WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

An extremely higher percentage of the global timber market comprises illegally felled or improperly registered timber. A 2019 study found that 62% of tested timber products among major U.S. retailers had one or more fraudulent or misrepresented claim, including the purported species, an indicator of illegality. International timber supply chains are often opaque and unreliable. The Lacey Act requires end users of endangered wood species to certify the legality of their supply chain to the forest level. This has heightened legal risk for users of timber products. It has also damaged the reputation of tropical timber as some processors opt out of tropical timber altogether. Withdrawal from the market, however, removes legal distribution channels, increasing contraband and accelerating illegal logging.

IWC is committed to the highest level of transparency in our supply chain. Certification provides key third-party verification of legality. Technology can be leveraged to demonstrate chain of custody and establish traceability. The company has adopted software developed by a UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH, a leading forestry consulting company, that allows forest technicians to log each tree to be harvested with identifying information, such as location, species, height and diameter. Trees are arrayed on maps, allowing IWC’s technicians to plan and track sustain harvests and the movement of logs to our mill. The software allows the company and third parties to track the company’s timber inventories and wood flow and make important decisions about the nature of harvests.