Illegal logging is a pervasive problem of major international concern
that causes many negative social, economical and environmental consequences.
EUTR is a tool adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2013 to stop the trade
of timber illegally logged within the EU market. The implementation in Italy is
still in progress and varies among regions. This study considers the
respondents’ opinions on different EUTR characteristics, implementation
processes and compliance activities. Taking Italy as an example, the
questionnaire was delivered to relevant Italian foresters and timber operators
in the forest-timber system. Two hypotheses are under verification: 1) if
Italian forest-wood-timber sector integrated EUTR into its activity and 2) if
the Italian Due Diligence system is a valid model to other countries. The
questionnaire has been submitted to the wood industry stakeholders. It has been
organized into six sections to collect information about the professional
characteristics of respondents, their experiences on EUTR, the opinion about
EUTR and FLEGT, the support received on EUTR implementation, the opinion about
the checks system, and the role of EUTR in marketing timber products.
Questionnaire data have been elaborated in different ways. Conclusion
underlines the EUTR Italian system criticalities and some suggestions for a
more effective use of EUTR in the wood market. The picture that emerges from
the results collected is that the EUTR, although proposed for morally and
ethically valid purposes, doesn’t have unanimous effectiveness. In particular,
EUTR can generate a distortion of the market, new expenditures for importers.
Various operators applaud the role of certification schemes for sustainable
forest management, which indirectly makes it possible to prevent the
aforementioned problem. The Italian EUTR system is working only for satisfying
Regulation 995/2010 targets. This must be considered as the starting point;
however, three innovative topics could be developed in the future:
digitalization and computerization of EUTR certification, integration of EUTR
certification with forest certifications schemes and other quality
certifications, and use of EUTR in the marketing initiatives.
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