Four of Europe's largest retailers - Carrefour, Kingfisher, IKEA and Marks & Spencer - have announced that they are setting up the Timber Retail Coalition (TRC).

The TRC supports the European Commission’s efforts to create EU-wide regulation as a crucial step towards the widespread adoption of responsible timber sourcing practices.

Sir Stuart Rose, Chairman, Marks & Spencer, said: "Under Plan A, our eco and ethical plan, M&S is committed to sourcing key raw materials such as wood, from the most sustainable resources available to us. Whilst we and our fellow TRC members are committed to responsible procurement, a lack of regulation means illegally harvested timber products can still enter the European market. Working together, the TRC aims to send out a clear message that this is not acceptable."

PEFC certification, as a voluntary, market-based mechanism, provides assurance concerning the sustainability of timber, with compliance to all relevant national and international laws being a fundamental pre-requisite for certification. With two-thirds of the world’s certified forest area is certified to PEFC, it offers the widest supply of certified fibre and timber.

PEFC's Sustainability Benchmarks go far beyond the concept of legality. PEFC sets the highest standards for forest certification and sustainable forest management aligned with the majority of the world's governments and offers a number of unique features that make it especially attractive to responsible companies.  PEFC demands the highest percentage of certified material in labelled products, and it is the only global forest certification system that requires compliance with the fundamental ILO conventions not only in signatory countries, but in all countries globally.

PEFC is looking forward to working closely with all companies committed to increase the quantity of certified materials on their stores' shelves.  

The simple action of procuring PEFC-certified products communicates to the customer in a clear, concise and transparent manner that products have been sourced from sustainably managed forests and that illegally harvested wood is not tolerated.