Stephen Mitchell Associates

If a business in Sydney you know of disposes of large quantities of wood off-cuts, pallets, crates, skids or dunnage - contact us to help. Waste disposal costs in Sydney are the most expensive in the country and recycling is usually a far cheaper option. We have assisted a number of importers of all sorts of goods (e.g. glass, auto parts, tiles, timber, paper, printing) recycle their wood packaging.

The European Commission has released a report on the effectiveness of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) over the two years since commencement. The Commission found progress, but more effort needed from Member States and private sector. Substantive changes to the Regulation are not recommended but it is suggested that the products included within the scope be expanded subject to impact assessment. Going forward, businesses should expect to see increasing strengthening of imple

The European Timber Trade Federation has recently launched a new online tool ‘Gateway to international Timber Trade’ to assist international timber traders with information on the forest industry, legal timber trade, country requirements and export trends in timber producing countries. They plan to complete 23 country profiles by mid-2016. Further information here. There are currently six country profiles available, including for Vietnam, Indonesia and PNG. Note that the A

In October 2015 the Department issued a compliance advice note on using FSC and PEFC chain-of-custody (CoC) certification for the risk assessment phase of due diligence on their imports. The note (which can be found here) clarifies that a product purchased needs to be certified to be regarded as low risk using this method of risk assessment as CoC certification doesn't mean a product is certified. While this is the case we still find CoC certification very useful for due di

In late 2015 Lumber Liquidators - the largest hardwood flooring retailer in the United States - pleaded guilty to violations of the U.S. Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in illegally sourced and traded plant products. To date they have paid over US$13.3 million in penalties and face further sanctions. A US law firm has provided a good summary of the case and lessons for US industry. Some of which are also applicable to Australian importers. Click here.

An addendum to the Australian Timber Importers Federation's (ATIF) Legality Toolkit has been finalised. The addendum clarifies some compliance matters and related due diligence requirements of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment Regulation 2012. Some changes are a result of feedback from users and ATIF’s work with importers on undertaking due diligence – particularly information gathering and risk assessment. Other changes have been flagged by the Department of Agricu

Cambodia is now reported to be the largest exporter of timber into Vietnam. Over half the volume is comprised of Beng, Thnong and Kra Nhung timbers (as they are known in Cambodia - their common names in other south east Asian countries are different!). Beng (Afzelia xylocarpa), Thnong (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) and Kra Nhung (Dalberigia Cochinchinensis) are among the rarest and most coveted varieties of wood in the region. Kra Nhung, or Siamese rosewood, has also been designat

The Australian Government has released KPMGs Independent review of the impact of the illegal logging regulations on small business. The Government has given in-principle support to its recommendations including increasing the individual consignment value threshold from $1,000 to $10,000, establishing simplified 'deemed to comply' arrangements by regulation and better education and support for industry compliance. They will also be extending the initial ‘soft-start’ compliance