With further support, development and communication FLEGT and FLEGT licensing can play a role in underpinning tropical timber product market share in the highly competitive European furniture sector, according to the latest IMM survey.The core aim of the IMM study of procurement in the EU furniture industry is to gauge the sector’s perceptions of the value, impacts and process of sourcing from FLEGT VPA engaged supplier countries.

The report was authored by consultant George White, based on individual country surveys undertaken by the IMM’s network of correspondents in seven lead importing countries. These were the Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium, which between them account for 83% of all furniture imported into the EU from VPA suppliers. 

The key rationale of the survey is that assembled wood furniture consistently comprises 40% of the value of EU timber and wood products sourced from FLEGT VPA partner countries. So, canvassing furniture sector opinions of the VPA initiative and FLEGT licensing could hold valuable lessons for the development of EU market awareness and penetration of VPA-sourced and licensed products more generally. “[The aim is] to provide a preliminary assessment of the current and potential role of FLEGT licensing to improve market access for wood furniture from VPA countries in the EU, and to recommend a strategy to optimise the benefits of FLEGT licensing [in this respect],”  states the report.

The study was also designed to provide a comprehensive baseline of perceptions and impacts of the FLEGT VPA initiative in the wood furniture sector in order to generate recommendations for IMM’s long term monitoring of the industry.

Download the full study here.