Lack of Information on Legal Timber and Wood Products Hampers Gov't Green Procurement Policy

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment announced on December 25, 2007 the results of a questionnaire survey on green procurement of wood from sustainable forest management. One of the aims of the survey was to raise awareness of legally sourced timber and wood products, as well as to understand the current situation with respect to green purchasing issues. The findings revealed that efforts to promote green procurement are being hampered by a lack of information on legally logged wood and wood products, and a lack of understanding of the issues by public organizations and businesses. Thus, the survey suggested a need to provide more information, improve PR activities and devise ways to alleviate the economic burdens of green purchasing.

Of the respondents, 86.1 percent of public agencies and 72.6% of homebuilders said that receiving and responding to the survey questionnaire gave them a better understanding of how green procurement programs work. The ministry hopes that distributing the questionnaires will also help educate many of the public agencies and homebuilders who did not respond to it.

The survey was carried out from October to December, 2007 by sending out questionnaires on measures to combat illegal logging and the meaning of green purchasing. Questionnaires were sent to 1,868 local municipalities and related public agencies, as well as to 778,000 homebuilders nationwide.

http://www.env.go.jp/en/
- Forestry Agency Sets up Task Force on Illegal Logging (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/993-e
- Green Procurement Law Revised to Help Prevent Illegal Logging (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1403-e

Posted: 2008/05/02 09:40:50 AM