2017 Timber Scorecard - What progress on sustainable timber production?

The scorecard covers key sectors such as construction and home-builders as well as paper / printing and publishing, general retailers and furniture retailers.

The scorecard awards each company a score from zero trees (no apparent progress on sustainable timber and timber products) to three trees, (sourcing over 70% certified sustainable wood and have policies and control systems in place).

What are the key findings from the 2017 Timber Scorecard?

• The construction sector leads on performance with all but one of the companies rewarded top marks.
• A quarter of companies reviewed, scored ‘zero trees’ meaning they are failing to disclose their policies and performance on sustainable timber. This includes many of the UK’s globally recognised luxury brands.
• 27% of companies scored only one tree meaning they are still only taking limited action to guarantee that the timber or wood products they sell are not contributing to deforestation or illegal logging. They may have a policy, but it is unclear if they are monitoring progress against this.
• Of the 30 companies with a zero score, more than half were furniture retailers.
• The musical instrument sector lags on performance with the highest performance only scoring a rating of one.
• 50% of all companies reviewed scored either two or three trees, which demonstrates they are making good progress.
• Some of the best performing companies include B&Q (Kingfisher), Boots, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Tetra Pak, the Co-Op, WH Smith, Morrisons, Waitrose and Balfour Beatty, showing that it is possible for big names in diverse sectors to promote sustainable timber practices.

The scorecard results and analysis

Below you can view the result tables showing the companies classified by their tree score along with information on how they scored compared to the 2015 review.

The tables also show whether the companies directly responded to requests by the study authors for information.

• 3 trees rating (40 companies)
• 2 trees rating (24 companies)
• 1 tree rating (34 companies)
• 0 trees rating (30 companies)

Download the full 2017 Timber Scorecard report

By way of comparison, you can view our report on the 2015 Timber Scorecard and download the full report.

The Timber Scorecard is part of WWF-UK's Forest campaign which seeks to raise awareness of the importance of responsible forest trade. The overriding aim being to improve company performance on securing timber and timber products from sustainable sources (with high proportions of FSC and recycled timber). The charity also offers advice through its Global Forest and Trade Network.

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