Brazilian Cherry Flooring - FSC Certification

By Steve Getsiv, 02/23/09

Brazilian Cherry flooring the wood to watch as FSC Certification becomes consumer requirement for Brazilian Cherry floors.

Brazilian Cherry flooring has long been the the wood most imported from Brazil into the United States. This is primarily because there are long-established supply chains in place, from mills/manufacturers to importers/wholesalers to distributors/retailers. As environmental concerns have ramped up and the green movement has become much more of a tangible reality for consumers and producers alike, Brazilian Cherry has become the wood to watch as far as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) chain of custody enforcement is concerned. Additionally, with the passing of the Lacey Act in the United States, not only are there heightened sustainability measures to meet, but import/export standards are now more stringent than they have been in the past.

Naturally, the advent of additional bureaucracy and red tape requires more logistics and administration by importers/exporters and mills as well, which equates to more man power and labor required to bring products into the United States. This will inevitably cause a rise in price to the consumer of these products. The question is, will the consumers find the extra cost worth it for certification of their Brazilian Cherry floors?

Some mills and distributors find the FSC certification process cumbersome, costly, and ultimately just more bureaucratic red tape to deal with when they already practice sustainable harvesting practices as a logical manner of conducting sustainable business. The cost comes from maintaining the chain of custody, which requires all transfers of all wood to be documented so that the wood itself can be traced back to its original harvesting point.

As this nascent certification process and new import/export laws come into effect and coalesce, Brazilian Cherry will be a product at the forefront of the environmentally sustainable certification and importation movement.

Posted by Bernaditte Cartujano's Blog at 6:35 AM

By Steve Getsiv, 02/23/09

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