Form 1: Proposal for a new field oftechnical activity
Circulation date:2019-05-15

Reference number(to be given by Central Secretariat)

Closing date for voting:2019-08-07
Proposer :ISO/TS/P 278

ABNT

A proposal for a new field of technical activity shall be submitted to the Central Secretariat,
which will assign it a reference number and process the proposal in accordance with the ISO/IEC
Directives (part 1, subclause 1.5). The proposer may be a member body of ISO, a technicalcommittee, subcommittee or project committee, the Technical Management Board or a General
Assembly committee, the Secretary-General, a body responsible for managing a certification
system operating under the auspices of ISO, or another international organization with national
body membership. Guidelines for proposing and justifying a new field of technical activity are
given in the ISO/IEC Directives (part 1, Annex C).
The proposal (to be completed by the proposer)
Title of the proposed new committee (The title shall indicate clearly yet concisely the new
field of technical activity which the proposal is intended to cover.)ISO TC 287 Sustainable processes for wood and wood-based products

Scope statement of the proposed new committee (The scope shall precisely define thelimits of the field of activity. Scopes shall not repeat general aims and principles governing
the work of the organization but shall indicate the specific area concerned.)Standardization in the field of the wood and wood-based industries, including but notlimited to sustainability and renewability aspects, chain of custody, timber tracking andtimber measurement, across the entire supply chain from biomass production to thefinished wood and wood-based products.
Excluded: those applications covered by ISO/TC6 “Paper, board and pulps”; ISO/TC89“Wood-based panels”; ISO/TC 165 “Timber structures”; ISO/TC 218 “Timber”; and ISO/TC
207 “Environmental management”.

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Proposed initial programme of work (The proposed programme of work shall correspond toand clearly reflect the aims of the standardization activities and shall, therefore, show therelationship between the subject proposed. Each item on the programme of work shall bedefined by both the subject aspect(s) to be standardized (for products, for example, theitems would be the types of products, characteristics, other requirements, data to besupplied, test methods, etc.). Supplementary justification may be combined with particular
items in the programme of work. The proposed programme of work shall also suggest
priorities and target dates.
ISO TC 287 Sustainable processes for wood and wood-based products intends to develop
technical work on:
Chain of custody;
Timber tracking and measurement;
Sustainability aspects for the wood and wood-based industries;
Harmonized terminology.

Indication(s) of the preferred type or types of deliverable(s) to be produced under theproposal (This may be combined with the "Proposed initial programme of work" if moreconvenient.)
Technical Standards and/or technical specifications.

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A listing of relevant existing documents at the international, regional and national levels.
(Any known relevant document (such as standards and regulations) shall be listed,regardless of their source and should be accompanied by an indication of theirsignificance.)
List not exhaustive:
Brazilo

ABNT NBR 14790:2007 – Forest management – Chain of custody;oABNT NBR 15753:2009 – Forest management – Guidelines for implementation of ABNT NBR
15789.

Australia
o AS 4708 Supp 1:2007 – Guidance for medium and large native forest ownerships (Supplement 1to AS 4708 - 2007).
Spaino UNE 162001:2007 – Sustainable forest management – Vocabulary, terminology and definitions;
United Stateso ASTM D7480-08 – Standard guide for evaluating the attributes of a forest management plan;o ASTM D7480-08 – Standard guide for evaluating the attributes of a Forest Management plan.
ISOoISO 24294 “Timber -- Round and sawn timber -- Vocabulary” should be cited as relevant
standard.

A statement from the proposer as to how the proposed work may relate to or impact on
existing work, especially existing ISO and IEC deliverables. (The proposer should explain how
the work differs from apparently similar work, or explain how duplication and conflict will beminimized. If seemingly similar or related work is already in the scope of o ther committees ofthe organization or in other organizations, the proposed scope shall distinguish between theproposed work and the other work. The proposer shall indicate whether his or her proposalcould be dealt with by widening the scope of an existing committee or by establishing a newcommittee.)
The proposal intends to address topics that will offer, in some cases, opportunities for developing
interactions with other Technical Committees in form of liaison, joint working groups or otherinitiatives. The TC Leadership will work proactively on avoiding overlaps and building relationships
with other parties, aiming to respect activities that are currently being developed and potentialize
opportunities for synergy. Initially, such dynamic may occur with TC 59/SC 17, TC 207, TC 218,TC 238, TC 296 and PC 308.

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A listing of relevant countries where the subject of the proposal is important to theirnational commercial interests.
Austria, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Sweden, China, France, Finland, Denmark, Argentina, UnitedStates, United Kingdom, Netherlands, South Africa, Japan, Chile, Romania, Philippines,Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, India, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Thailand, Republic ofCongo, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Gabon, Malaysia, Uruguay, Norway, Bulgaria - list notexhaustive.

A listing of relevant external international organizations or internal parties (other ISO and/orIEC committees) to be engaged as liaisons in the development of the deliverab le(s). (Inorder to avoid conflict with, or duplication of efforts of, other bodies, it is important toindicate all points of possible conflict or overlap. The result of any communication withother interested bodies shall also be included.)
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC);
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) ;Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO);
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI);
United Nations Forum on Forests;European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois);
European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation (ECOS);
Groupe Energies Renouvelables, Environnement et Solidarités (GERES);
GS1;
International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA);The Rainforest Alliance.

A simple and concise statement identifying and describing relevant affected stakeholder
categories (including small and medium sized enterprises) and how they will each benefit
from or be impacted by the proposed deliverable(s).

The list of affected stakeholders includes, but is not limited to, the following:Consumers;Society;
Government;
Industry;
NGOs;
Forest owners;
Small producers of timber;Research institutes.

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An expression of commitment from the proposer to provide the committee secretariat if theproposal succeeds.

ABNT is committed to allocate the Committee’s Secretariat, with its full responsibilities if the proposalsucceeds.

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Purpose and justification for the proposal. (The purpose and justification for the creation ofa new technical committee shall be made clear and the need for standardization in thisfieldshall be justified. Clause C.4.13.3 of Annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 contains amenu of suggestions or ideas for possible documentation to support and purpose andjustification of proposals. Proposers should consider these suggestions, but they are notlimited to them, nor are they required to comply strictly with them. What is most important isthat proposers develop and provide purpose and justification information that is mostrelevant to their proposals and that makes a substantial business case for the market
relevance and the need for their proposals. Thorough, well-developed and robust purpose andjustification documentation will lead to more informed consideration of proposals andultimately their possible success in the ISO IEC system.)

Motivation
The importance of forests and their resources to the livelihood of our planet isunquestionable. According to latest data from the United Nations, these ecosystems cover
approximately 4 billion hectares or about 30% of Earth’s land area and 1.6 billion people
depend on forests for income generation and subsistence. Understandably, the pressure
on forests through the ever-growing demand for wood and agricultural land is a central
part of international concern and debate.
To understand the complexities of this challenge and to enable the rational design ofstrategies to alleviate future competition between land and resources, it is important toconsider the future of forests in the context of global population demographics. By 2030,
it is estimated that the world’s population will jump from a current 7.6 to 9.5 billion people.
Consequently, the demand for wood is expected to triple in the same period, reaching 10
billion cubic meters per year and leading to an unavoidable increment in land use that
could reach 250 million hectares. Technological advances and the versatility of wood as arenewable raw material also play a crucial role in the design of solutions for this dilemma.
As innovation progresses, a bio-economy based on woody biomass becomes feasible,
allowing a more diverse use of products made from fiber and lignin, many of thempositioned to replace chemical compounds derived from petroleum.
Growing forests and plantations sequester huge amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere andthe renewable carbon cycle does not add any new GHG to the atmosphere as long as
forests are managed in a sustainable way. Therefore, wood and wood-based products playa crucial role in mitigating climate change. They have the potential to r eplace many of thefossil-based products (energy, materials and chemicals) and have a smaller ecologicalfootprint than other competing materials such as concrete and steel (ref FAO). As a result,they can contribute significantly to the United Nations COP process and to reaching theUN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. On the social side, sustainably managed
forests and plantations have the potential to contribute substantially to rural development.
In this area there are already well established international standards dealing withsustainable forest management. ISO TC 287 intends to create a working group to provide
the tools to address sustainability aspects associated with the production of renewable
wood-based products.

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One of the important challenges in this context is assuring the legal origin of timber insupply chains, as well as that of other raw materials derived from wood. ISO PC 287 hasalready successfully developed ISO 38200 Chain of custody of wood and wood -based
products, but this is an extensive and dynamic topic, with new approaches andtechnological innovations being regularly introduced to stakeholders. In response to this
scenario, the future TC 287 aims to develop additional International Standards to support
and complement ISO 38200.
It will also be essential to develop new measurement tools and exercise due diligence intheir implementation. For example, ISO TC 287 intends to explore the adoption andstandardization of novel and promising technologies for timber tracking, as well as
establishing relevant methodologies and developing internationally harmonized standards
for measuring properties of wood and wood-based products. These will not only facilitate
fair trading practices but will also serve as valuable chain of custody tools.
The aim of the future TC is to promote the sustainable production of renewable wood andwood-based products by preserving natural resources and mitigating negativeenvironmental impacts. To achieve these goals, cohesive and holistic actions mus t beimplemented. Technical Committee 287 will serve as a forum to produce state -of-the-art,
market relevant standards that can be adopted internationally. The intention of TC 287 is
not to compete with existing TCs on specific products, but to complement them byhandling the topics that are common to all parts of the wood and wood -based industry.
Considering the high rate of innovation within the industry, the amount of new applicationsof renewable wood and wood-based products and the complexity of the supply chains,there is a growing need for a holistic approach to deal with key issues. Therefore, ISO TC
287 intends to initially establish three working groups (WGs) that will deal with chain ofcustody, timber tracking and measurement, and sustainability aspects. Harmonization ofterminology between the working groups will initially be addressed by an ad hoc/task
group. The three WGs will serve as overarching structures that will begin their work byconducting gap analyses and prioritizing needs. ISO PC 287 members have alreadyidentified the following topics as potential issues of interest:
WG 1 Chain of custody••••••••

Maintenance of ISO 38200
Application of blockchain for the forest industry
Product categories
Multi siteOutsourcing
Shared credit
Due diligence
Implementation guidance

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WG 2 Timber tracking and measurement••••

Genetic tracking
Barcode tracking
Moisture content
Measurement of industry input material (weight, volume)

WG 3 Sustainability aspects for the wood and wood-based industries
Context: a lot of the focus for the industry so far has been on forest management, but there
is a need for addressing sustainability from a broader perspective, including the entire
supply chain. One of the benefits of this wider perspective will be to help positioning theforest sector at the forefront of sustainable industries. This may include:••••••••UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals – applications for the forest industry
Renewability
Recyclability – relation with circular economy
New applications of woody biomass: lignin, nanocellulose and bioproducts
Wood fibers in textiles
Additives
Carbon balance/carbon footprint
Other LCA related topics

As there is currently no demonstrable industry demand, it is not intended that the new TC
should develop, as an international standard, a complete framework for sustainable forest
management. However, it is intended that the new TC should bring forward proposals fortechnical guidance standards that will support the sustainable and renewable productionof wood and wood-based products.

Context:
This proposal was initially developed by the ISO PC 287 Leadership and subsequently
updated by an Ad Hoc Group formally established during the Committee’s last plenary
meeting and formed by experts from: Canada, China, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom,
the PC Chair and Secretariat. As part of the consensus building process, the updated
proposal was then assessed by the full Membership of PC 287 in a Committee Internal
Ballot (CIB). The CIB resulted in an 81% majority approval (13 Yes X 3 No). Attached to thisForm are: The Committee resolution approving the initiative to transform ISO PC 287 into
ISO TC 287, the CIB results and the collated comments with the replies. All technicalcomments received in the CIB were put “on hold” and will be dealt with in a parallel process
involving the PC Members and Leadership.

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Signature of the proposer

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Further information to assist with understanding the requirements for the items above can befound in the Directives, Part 1, Annex C.

FORM 1 – Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Version 08/2018