Contribution from the EU FLEGT Facility: A new website developed by the EU FLEGT Facility  provides timber traders, specifiers, architects and retailers with information on business benefits of trading in FLEGT-licensed timber. It also demonstrates social, environmental and economic benefits that such trade brings to producer countries.

The new resource explains what FLEGT licences are, how they benefit timber buyers in the EU, and how the advantages of FLEGT licensing extend far beyond legality to encompass social, economic and environmental gains in producer countries.

It includes links to multimedia stories that highlight the benefits of FLEGT licensing, and to downloadable resources that can help timber buyers to communicate about FLEGT-licensed products with their customers. 

FLEGT-licensed timber products are best known for their verified legality. They automatically meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation so, for operators in the EU, they eliminate the risk of trading in illegal timber.

Less well-known are the considerable social, economic and environmental credentials of FLEGT-licensed products. Yet the trade in these products, and the reforms and improvements that stand behind the licences, are helping ensure that forests contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction, while promoting responsible forest management.

The new webpage is part of the FLEGT licence information point, which the Facility set up in 2016 to provide practical information about FLEGT licences, import procedures, trade scenarios and answers to frequently asked questions.