Europe’s changing
tropical timber trade
SUMMARY

Baseline report of the
Independent Market Monitoring initiative

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATIONThe Independent Market Monitoring (IMM)
mechanism was established under an EU-funded projectof the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
to support the implementation of bilateral voluntary
partnership agreements (VPAs) between the European
Union (EU) and timber-supplying countries. VPAs area key element of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, which
defines the EU’s policy for promoting legal logging andthe trade of legally licensed timber. A VPA specifies
commitments and actions by both signatory parties
with the aim of developing a legality assurance
system to license timber and timber products forexport to the EU.
This baseline report was prepared during the IMM
inception phase to determine the position in the EU
market of wood products exported by VPA partnercountries prior to the issuance of FLEGT licences.
Recognizing that market trends in the EU and VPA
partner countries are highly dependent on trade withother regions of the world, the report also puts tradeflows between the EU and VPA partner countries intheir global context.
The report covers all products within the scopeof existing or potential future VPAs and includes
the following chapters (and parts thereof) of theinternational Harmonized Commodity Description
and Coding System: all products in Chapter 44(Wood); products identified as containing woodin Chapter 94 (Furniture); virgin wood-based pulp
products in Chapter 47 (Pulp); and all products in
Chapter 48 (Paper). Collectively, wood and wood
furniture are referred to here as wood products anddealt with separately from pulp and paper.
The report focuses on the trade between the 28 EU
member states and the following 17 tropical timbersupplying countries at various stages of the VPA process:• VPA-implementing countries: Cameroon, theCentral African Republic, the Congo, Ghana,Indonesia and Liberia.
• VPA-negotiating countries: Côte d’Ivoire, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon,
Guyana, Honduras, the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic (Lao PDR), Malaysia, Thailand and Viet
Nam.

Meranti plywood manufacture in Indonesia.
Photo: Muh. Yusram Massijaya

Collectively, these countries are referred to here as
VPA partner countries. The report contains countryspecific production and trade data for the six VPAimplementing countries, but this summary presents
mainly aggregated data. Data are analyzed at
decadal timescales so that potentially significant
long-term trends affecting the trade in wood products
from VPA partner countries can be identified. The
main report describes the data sources used.

VPA partner countries’ shareof global wood-product supply
VPA partner countries had a total forest areaof 486 million hectares in 2010, comprising
169 million hectares in VPA-implementing countries,
276 million hectares in VPA-negotiating countries,and 42 million hectares in VPA-preparing countries.
The forest area in VPA partner countries was about
26% of the total forest area in the tropics and 12%of the global forest area (Figure S1).
VPA partner countries had a total growing stock of
82 billion m3 in 2010, nearly all of which was hardwood.
VPA partner countries accounted for 17% of the total
global growing stock and 24% of global hardwood
growing stock in 2010. Growing stock was 27 billion
m3 in VPA-implementing countries, 53 billion m3
in VPA-negotiating countries, and 2 billion m3 in VPApreparing countries.

• VPA-preparing countries: Cambodia and Myanmar.

2

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber tradeFigure S1: VPA partner country share of world forest
area, 2010
World forests(billion hectares)

Figure S2: Global industrial hardwood log production,
by VPA status, 2004–2013
800

Tropical/subtropical forests(billion hectares)

700

2.14

1.41

1.89

Volume (million m3)

600

0.04
0.28
0.17

500
400
300
200
100
0

Tropical/subtropical

No VPA

VPA preparing

Temperate/boreal

VPA negotiating

VPA implementing

In VPA partner countries, industrial hardwood log
production increased from 102 million m3 in 2004 to
131 million m3 in 2013, when it accounted for 18%
of global production and 42% of tropical production(Figure S2). In 2013, industrial hardwood log
production was 71 million m3 in VPA-implementing
countries, 55 million m3 in VPA-negotiating countries,
and 6 million m3 in VPA-preparing countries.

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
VPA implementing

VPA negotiating

No VPA tropical

No VPA temperate

VPA preparing

In the 17 VPA partner countries:• Hardwood sawnwood production increased from
18.6 million m3 in 2004 to 21.9 million m3 in
2013, which was 18% of global production and
42% of tropical production. VPA-implementing
countries accounted for 6.1 million m3 of
production in 2013, VPA-negotiating countries for14.2 million m3 and VPA-preparing countries for1.6 million m3.

Log skidding to a temporary yard on a secondary forest road, Brazil.
Photo: E. Vidal

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade3

Transportation of logs to the local industry, Côte d’Ivoire.
Photo: R. Carrillo/ITTO• Hardwood veneer production increased from
1.8 million m3 in 2004 to 3.0 million m3 in 2013,
which was 24% of global production and 60% of
tropical production. VPA-implementing countries
accounted for 1.2 million m3 of production in2013, VPA-negotiating countries for 1.7 million m3
and VPA-preparing countries for 0.1 million m3.
• Hardwood plywood production decreased from
10.8 million m3 in 2004 to 9.6 million m3 in 2013,
which was 11% of global production and 59% oftropical production. VPA-implementing countries
accounted for 5.5 million m3 of production in 2013,
VPA-negotiating countries for 4.0 million m3 andVPA preparing countries for 0.1 million m3.

Relative international
competitiveness of VPA countries
Some VPA partner countries are exploiting
competitive advantages to develop markets forfurther-processed wood products in Europe. A review
of various international competitiveness indices for
VPA partner countries found the following:• Malaysia is one of the world’s most competitive
countries and also one of the most “connected”
countries to international trade networks.
• Thailand scores highly for the ease of doing
business and global competitiveness but isrelatively less connected than Malaysia tointernational trade networks.

4• Indonesia scores highly for global competitivenessbut is less connected than Malaysia and is not
rated highly for the ease of doing business.
• Viet Nam is generally middle-ranked forinternational competitiveness.
• VPA partner countries in Africa are all low incompetitiveness indices, although Ghana isrelatively more connected and competitive thanother African countries.
• Some African VPA partner countries, especially
Cameroon and DRC, are very poorly connected tointernational trade routes.
• Honduras and Guyana are both higher-ranked
than the Congo Basin countries (but are ranked
well below Ghana) for the ease of doing businessand global competitiveness. Their connectivity isextremely low.
Those VPA partner countries ranked highly ininternational competitiveness indices—Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam—also have the mostdeveloped wood-processing sectors and are significant
exporters of value-added wood products to the EU. VPA
partner countries that are poorly connected tointernational trade routes and are rated as
challenging places in which to do business are more
focused on the export of primary wood products.

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber tradeForest certification share
The total area of forest certified worldwide by the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme
for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was
440.45 million hectares in November 2014, which was
11.1% of the global forest estate. About 24.75 million
hectares (5.6% of the world’s certified forest) was intropical countries, and VPA partner countries had a
combined area of 11.22 million hectares of certified
forests. Of the VPA-implementing countries, only
Cameroon, the Congo and Indonesia had more thannegligible areas of forest certified under either the FSC
or the PEFC.

VPA partner share of global tropicalwood-product trade
The value of global trade in tropical wood products
increased by 15% in the decade to 2013, to US$31 billion(Figure S3). Combined, the 17 VPA partner countries
accounted for 81% of the value of global trade intropical wood products in 2013, down from 84% in
2004. The six VPA-implementing countries accounted
for 22% of that trade in 2013, down from 32% in
2004, while the nine VPA-negotiating countries
accounted for 53%, up from 49% in 2004. Thesechanges in relative share were due primarily toincreased exports from Thailand and Viet Nam(both VPA-negotiating countries).

Product mix of tropical woodproduct trade
Much of the decline in the value of global trade intropical wood products due to the global financial
crisis (GFC) was concentrated in logs, sawnwood,
plywood and veneer, while the value of the global
trade of wood furniture and other value-added
wood products (such as flooring, doors, windows
and laminated veneer lumber—LVL) was more stable(Figure S4).
There was a significant shift in the relative proportionof trade in primary and secondary processed productsin the decade to 2013. Demand in China and India,
which grew strongly from 2009, focused on sawlogs
and veneer logs, and the share of logs in the global
trade of tropical wood products increased from 14%
in 2004 to 19% to 2013. There was also strong growthin demand in China and Japan for biomass for energy
production, particularly from Thailand and Viet Nam.
The share of sawnwood in the global trade of tropicalwood products fell from 18% in 2004 to 15% in2013 as China and India became more important
relative to western markets, which traditionally prefersawnwood. The share of plywood in the global tradeof tropical wood products also fell during the period,
from 20% to 12%.

Figure S4: Global tropical wood products trade,by product group, 2004–2013

Figure S3: Global tropical wood products trade,by VPA status of suppliers, 2004–2013

30

Value (US$ billion in constant 2013 prices)

Value (US$ billion in constant 2013 prices)

30

25

20

15

10

5

0
2004

25

20

15

10

5

0
2004

2005

2006

VPA implementing

2007

2008

2009

VPA negotiating

2010

2011

VPA preparing

2012

2013

2005

2006

Wooden furniture
Saw & veneer logs
Composite panels

2007

2008

2009

2010

Other added value
Sawnwood & mouldings
Other/unknown

2011

2012

2013

Biomass
Plywood & veneer

No VPA

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade5Regional supply of tropicalwood products

Figure S6: Global tropical wood products trade,by import region, 2004–2013

The main trend in the regional supply of tropical wood
products in the decade to 2013 was the rapid rise inexports from countries in the Mekong subregion—
Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet
Nam (Figure S5). Although the relative share ofIndonesia and Malaysia in the global trade in tropicalwood products declined over the period, those twocountries still accounted for 17% and 21% of the
global trade, respectively, in 2013. The share of Congo
Basin countries fell from 8% in 2004 to 6% in 2013,
with particularly large falls in 2008 and 2009.

Value (US$ billion in constant 2013 prices)

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Figure S5: Share of the global tropical wood products
trade, by export region, 2004–2013

2011

2012

China

North America

Northeast Asia

Other

India/South Asia

Southeast Asia

2013
EU

Note: China includes mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province of China.

90%

a rapidly increasing share of tropical wood products
in international trade. There has been massive growthin tropical wood-product exports to China, with thevalue more than doubling from less than US$4 billion
in 2009 to close to US$9 billion in 2013. India’s importsof tropical wood products, almost exclusively logs, havealso risen rapidly since 2006.

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%

VPA share of total EU import value

10%
2013

The GFC precipitated a dramatic fall in tropical woodproduct imports by the EU, Japan, North America andthe Republic of Korea. There was also a dip in tropicalwood-product exports to China in response to declining
demand among Chinese manufacturers engaged inre-exports to western markets (Figure S6).
The main consumer markets for tropical wood products
followed different trajectories in the aftermath of theGFC. The value of EU tropical wood-product imports fell
from a peak of US$7.37 billion in 2007 to US$3.66 billion
in 2013. The EU’s share of global imports of tropical wood
products halved between 2004 and 2013, to 12%, but there
was a robust rebound in North American and northeast
Asian imports. Nevertheless, emerging markets are taking

6

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0

TropicalChina/Hong Kong/Taiwan POC

Non-EU Europe

North America

2013

Changes in regional demand
for tropical wood products

Figure S7: Value of EU imports of wood products,
by source of supply, 2004–2013

2012

2012

Central Africa
Other

2011

2011

2010

2010

Latin America
India

2009

2009

2008

2008

MekongWest Africa

2007

2007

2006

2006

Southeast Asia
Oceania

2005

2005

2004

0%
2004

Value ( million in constant 2013 prices)

Share of total value (US$ in constant 2013 prices)

100%

Russian Federation/CIS
Other

Note: CIS = Commonwealth of Independent States; Taiwan POC = Taiwan Province ofChina. “Tropical” includes all imports from tropical countries and all log, sawn, veneer,
plywood and joinery products identified in import statistics as consisting of tropicalwood from non-tropical countries.

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade

Moving kiln-dried wood flooring to a truck for transport to market
in Brazil. Photo: I. Jankowsky

The total value of EU imports of wood products
was €13.98 billion in 2013, down from a peak of€21.7 billion in 2007 (Figure S7). Imports generally
lost market share to domestic wood products and arange of non-wood materials, and imports of tropicalwood products also lost share relative to wood-productimports from other regions, notably China (Figure S8).

Figure S9: Value of EU imports of wood products fromthe tropics, by VPA status, 2004–2013
Value ( million in constant 2013 prices)

Figure S8: Share of value of EU imports of wood
products, by source of supply, 2004–2013
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%

7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

TropicalChina/Hong Kong/Taiwan POC

Non-EU Europe

North America

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

No VPA - other2007

VPA negotiating

No VPA - Brazil

2006

VPA implementing

0%

2005

10%
2004

Share of value (€ in constant 2013 prices)

EU imports from the six VPA-implementing countries
fell from €2.26 billion in 2004 to €0.99 billion in 2013,
when they accounted for 32% of the total value oftropical wood-product imports. Imports from VPAnegotiating countries fell from €2.28 billion in 2004
to €1.46 billion in 2013 (Figure S9).

Russian Federation/CIS
Other

Note: CIS = Commonwealth of Independent States; Taiwan POC = Taiwan Province ofChina. “Tropical” includes all imports from tropical countries and all log, sawn, veneer,
plywood and joinery products identified in import statistics as consisting of tropicalwood from non-tropical countries.

2011 2012 2013
VPA preparing

The decline in EU imports of tropical wood products
was particularly pronounced for logs, sawnwood andplywood, while the value of imports of wood furnitureand other tertiary processed products was relatively
stable (Figure S10). As a result, the value of tertiary
processed tropical wood products imported by the EU
increased from 47% of total import value in 2004 tonearly 60% in 2013.

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade7

Other joinery

Other processed

Logs

Sawn

Ply/veneer

VPA partners in EU log supply
The supply of sawlogs and veneer logs in the EU
averaged 185 million m3 per year in the wake of theGFC (i.e. from 2008), down from around 220 million m3
per year before the GFC, with the share of imports
constituting less than 2% of supply in 2013. VPAimplementing countries supplied 105 000 m3 ofsawlogs and veneer logs to the EU in 2013, downfrom 482 000 m3 in 2004, and VPA-negotiating
countries supplied 60 000 m3, down from 664 000 m3.

VPA partners in EU sawnwood supply
The supply of sawnwood in the EU peaked at
129 million m3 in 2007 and was 110 million m3
in 2013, when about 85% of sawnwood supply was
domestic softwood, 9% was domestic hardwood, andimports made up 6% (down from 11% in 2004). The
share of tropical hardwoods in EU sawnwood import
volume declined from 19% in 2004 to 14% in 2013.
VPA-implementing countries supplied 415 000 m3 ofsawnwood to the EU in 2013, down from 901 000 m3
in 2004, and VPA-negotiating countries supplied
370 000 m3, down from 891 000 m3.

VPA partners in EU mouldings
and decking supply

VPA partners in EU plywood supply
The supply of plywood in the EU declined from
7.8 million m3 in 2004 to 7.2 million m3 in 2013;
imports contributed 45-50% of the EU’s annual
plywood supply in the decade to 2013. EU imports oftropical hardwood plywood declined from 1.3 million m3
in 2004 to 411 000 m3 in 2013.
The overall share of tropical hardwoods in EU plywood
imports fell from 37% in 2004 to 12% in 2013, due
mainly to a sharp increase in imports of Chinese “mixed
light hardwoods” (Figure S11) and competition from
Russian birch plywood and alternative panel products
such as oriented strandboard (OSB). VPA-implementing
countries supplied 98 000 m3 of plywood to the EU
in 2013, down from 482 000 m3 in 2004, and VPAnegotiating countries supplied 191 000 m3, downfrom 264 000 m3.

Figure S11: Share of EU plywood imports, by producttype, 2004–2013
100%
90%

EU imports of moulding and decking increased in theconstruction boom in the mid-2000s, from 519 000 m3
in 2004 to 747 000 m3 in 2007, but fell to a low of
300 000 m3 in 2013. Tropical hardwoods dominate EU
imports of this commodity group; VPA-implementing
countries accounted for 36% of imports in 2013 andVPA-negotiating countries for a further 11%.

8

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Tropical hardwood
Brazilian softwood

2013

Flooring

2012

Furniture

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

2011

0

2010

1000

2009

2000

2008

3000

2007

4000

2006

5000

2005

6000

The supply of veneer to the EU fell by 33% from2007 to 2013, to 1.57 million m3, due to the
combined effects of the GFC, declining domestic
plywood manufacturing capacity, and competition
from substitute wood and non-wood materials. EU
veneer imports fell more steeply than production,
causing a sharp loss of market share. Tropical hardwood
veneer import volume in 2013 was 266 000 m3, of
which 21% was derived from VPA-implementing
countries and 72% from VPA-negotiating countries.

2004

7000

VPA partners in EU veneer supply

Share of import quantity

Value ( million in constant 2013 prices)

Figure S10: Value of EU imports of wood products
from the tropics, by product type, 2004–2013

Russian birch Other hardwood
Chinese MLH
Other softwood
Russian softwood

The EU’s composite-panel market is significant in VPA
countries mainly for the role it plays in the supply ofcompeting products. Total European manufacturing
capacity of particleboard, OSB and fibreboard exceeds
50 million m3 per year, while imports are only around1 million m3 per year and include negligible volumes
from VPA countries.

Figure S12: Share of EU real-wood flooring imports,
by source of supply, 2004–2013
100%
90%
Share of import quantity

VPA partners in EU composite-panel
supply

50%
40%
30%
20%

Malaysia
Other tropicalIndonesia
Côte d'Ivoire

The share of imports in total EU wood-furnituresupply peaked at 14% in 2010 before declining to
12% in 2013.
VPA partner countries have a low and declining share in
the EU wood-furniture market (Figure S13). Combined,
the six VPA-implementing countries supplied wood
furniture worth €273 million to the EU in 2013, downfrom €721 million in 2005. The nine VPA-negotiating
countries supplied wood furniture worth €739 million
in 2013, down from €1.188 billion in 2007.

Figure S13: Share of EU wood-furniture imports,
2004–2013
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%

2013

9

Other temperate
Malaysia

2011

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade

China
Indonesia

2010

2012

2009

2008

2007

0%

2006

10%
2005

The EU wood-door sector has been important for
VPA partner countries mainly as a driver of importsof wood raw materials, but recent trends have been
negative. Wood doors manufactured in Europe today
are made mostly from veneered panels and fingerjointed timbers.

Other temperate
ThailandVPA partners in EU wood-furnituresupply2004

The total supply of wood doors in the EU was worth€6.06 billion in 2013, down from €9.94 billion in 2007.
Imports fell from a peak of €407 million in 2007 to€275 million in 2013, which was 4.5% of total supply.

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
China
BrazilShare of value (€ in constant 2013 prices)

VPA partners in EU wood-door supply

There is a trend in this sector away from tropicalsuppliers in favour of products from China and nonEU temperate countries (Figure S12). VPA partnercountries were relatively minor suppliers of woodflooring to the EU in the decade to 2013 and lost
share over the period.

60%

0%

The supply of wood windows in the EU was valuedat €5.96 billion in 2013, down from €8.77 billion
in 2007. Imports of wood windows from VPAimplementing and VPA-negotiating countries were
worth €530 000 in 2013, down from €5.45 million in2006. The EU wood-window market is more important
to VPA partner countries for its role as an end-user ofimported sawnwood and LVL. Some Indonesian and
Malaysian manufacturers are supplying LVL products to
exploit the trend towards engineered wood in this sector.

The production of real-wood flooring in the
EU declined from 105 million m2 in 2007 to
76 million m2 in 2013, while imports fell from53 million m2 to 28 million m2.

70%

10%

VPA partners in EU wood-window
supplyVPA partners in EU real-woodflooring supply

80%

Viet Nam
Other tropicalVPA partners in pulp supply
Woodpulp supply in the EU averaged close to
50 million tonnes per year in the five years to 2008
before falling to about 45 million tonnes per year in
2009–2013. Imports—mainly from North and SouthAmerica—contributed around 20% of total annual EU
woodpulp supply in the period 2004–2013. Indonesia
and Thailand were the only VPA partner countries that
supplied non-negligible volumes of pulp to the EU in
the decade to 2013: EU pulp imports from Indonesia fell
from more than 300 000 tonnes in 2004 to only
19 000 tonnes in 2013, and imports from Thailand
were negligible until 2013, when they increased
sharply to 33 000 tonnes.

VPA partners in paper supply
The value of the global trade in paper products(excluding internal EU trade) grew from US$85.1 billion
in 2004 to US$98.8 billion in 2013. Paper-productexports from tropical countries increased from
US$10.5 billion in 2004 to a peak of $15.4 billion in2011 before declining to US$13.7 billion in 2013.
Exports from VPA-implementing countries—mainly
Indonesia—increased from US$2.7 billion in 2004 to
US$4.5 billion in 2011 and weakened to US$3.76 billion
in 2013 (Figure S14). VPA-negotiating countries
exported paper products worth US$2.8 billion in 2013.

Figure S14: Paper exports from tropical countries,
by VPA status of suppliers, 2004–­2013

Value (US$ billion in constant 2013 prices)

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

VPA implementing

10

2009

2010

VPA negotiating

2011

2012

No VPA2013

EU domestic paper production reached a high of
102 million tonnes in 2006 but had fallen to 92 million
tonnes by 2013. EU paper-product imports peaked at
9.7 million tonnes in 2007 (8% of EU supply) before
falling to 6.3 million tonnes in 2013 (6.4% of EU
supply). Less than 5% of paper-product imports into
the EU derive from tropical countries; Indonesia
accounted for 167 000 tonnes of the 311 000 tonnesof paper imported from tropical countries by the EU
in 2013. Of other VPA partner countries, only Thailand
is a significant paper supplier to the EU, contributing
38 000 tonnes in 2013.

Review of EU market impact factors
The baseline report identifies and scores the relative
significance of 30 factors affecting the EU market for
timber from VPA-implementing and VPA-negotiating
countries in the decade to 2013; it also indicates the
projected impact of those factors from 2014 to 2023.
The analysis shows that many factors outside the scopeof the FLEGT VPA process have the potential to restrain
the supply of, and demand for, timber from VPA partnercountries in the next decade or more. Prominent among
these factors are: the continuing weakness of the EU
recovery from the GFC; the shift in global economic
activity to emerging markets; continuous productinnovation to extend applications for temperate woods
and non-wood substitutes; the strong commitment ofcompetitors to market development; the potential forthe increased production of hardwoods in Europe andother temperate countries; and the relative lack of
freight infrastructure in most VPA partner countries.
The implication of the baseline report is that FLEGT
licensing, even when combined with the EU Timber
Regulation, cannot be regarded as a “magic bullet”
that, on its own, will transform the EU market for
timber produced in VPA partner countries. On theother hand, the VPA process has strong potential asa means for overcoming some of the most significant
obstacles to market development in the EU (andbeyond) for timber products from VPA partner countries.
It also has the potential to increase the long-term
security of timber supply from VPA partner countries,
a factor that is especially relevant given growingpressure on financial and physical resources.

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade

Packaged plywood in the Philippines.
Photo: D. Eusebio

By strongly emphasizing good governance—whichaligns with lower commercial risk—the FLEGT VPA
process can help remove barriers to inward investment
in sustainable tropical timber industries. It can also
help overcome market prejudice against tropical timberin the EU and to turn around environmental campaigns
to the point where they support the industry as sociallyand environmentally sustainable.

These opportunities stem from emerging design
trends; increased interest in hardwoods for structural
applications; concern for climate change and carbon
footprints; rising commitment to sustainability; andimproving knowledge and expertise in marketing.
Copies of the full report can be downloaded at:
www.itto.int/technical_report.

Several factors could provide new opportunities fortimber from VPA partner countries in the next decade,as long as the VPA process is combined with strong
communication efforts and active market development
programmes in the EU and other export markets.

Summary – Europe’s changing tropical timber trade11

INTERNATIONAL TROPIC AL TIMBER ORGANIZATIONInternational Organizations Center, 5th Floor, Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, 220-0012, Japan
Tel 81-45-223-1110 Fax 81-45-223-1111 Email itto@itto.int Web www.itto.int© ITTO 2015

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