Holzindustrie Schweighofer has a strong due diligence system for log yards
Log yards are part of Romania’s timber industry. Due to the small forest road infrastructure, wood is sorted, cut into assortments and delivered to various customers from the log yards. For Holzindustrie Schweighofer it is important that no wood from national parks is mixed with wood that the company accepts for processing at these log yards.
Due diligence system for log yards
Holzindustrie Schweighofer has a well-designed due diligence system for these log yards in place:
- Every supplier must disclose all sources of wood procurement, including the harvesting permit (APV). This means that every supplier has to prove exactly from which forest his incoming loads originate.
- As soon as Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s supply chain experts learn that wood from national parks is traded on a log yard (which is perfectly legal for certain zones of national parks), the company does not accept deliveries from this specific log yard during this time period.
- The log yard operator can only supply Holzindustrie Schweighofer during this blocking period if he has other harvesting locations outside of national parks and the deliveries go to the company’s mills and are monitored via Timflow. In general, deliveries from a log yard to Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s mills are also tracked using Timflow.
The company’s suppliers are of course informed that Holzindustrie Schweighofer does not accept wood from national parks. This is clearly stipulated in the relevant contracts. All suppliers are constantly checked to ensure compliance with this regulation.
Pilot projects to further strengthen the security architecture for log yards
Holzindustrie Schweighofer, together with environmental organisations and scientists, is currently working on several pilot projects to investigate single log tracking and validation of the timber origin. This could further improve the security architecture at the log yards. The aim is to develop a practical and independently auditable system – which currently does not exist in an industrial form.
Possible technologies that are currently being tested and implemented in the pilot projects are:
- Physical single log tracking by the means of an artificial identifier (barcode, QR-code) or an biotic identifier (growth ring pattern, distribution of branches)
- Validation of origin by the means of stable isotope analyses, or NIR (Near Infrared) spectroscopy analysis
- Surveillance of the harvesting site with drones
Holzindustrie Schweighofer took on a pioneering role with the introduction of Timflow for all its suppliers in April 2017. By developing technologies to track individual logs and to validate the timber origin, the company is now taking the next steps.
