16.02.2024
12 new reference pamphlets are now available on the ATIBT website, covering guidelines and recommendations on the uses of tropical woods in international trade.
This initiative, financed by ITTO in late 2022, has enabled ATIBT to draw up 12 booklets on contracts and practices for the international trade in tropical timber.
This study was led by a duo of experts, Jean Gérard from CIRAD and Emmanuel Groutel from WALE, with the support of the ATIBT Wood Materials and Standardization Commission.
The first phase, the bibliographic analysis and documentary synthesis, made it possible to gather and analyze an exhaustive corpus of documentation on contracts and practices for the international trade of tropical woods. This stage involved the active contribution of ATIBT members, ensuring a solid basis for the identification of current practices, necessary evolutions, and elements to be discarded.
The second phase involved consultation with the Wood Materials and Standardization Commission. Commission members were asked to define the key areas and headings to be addressed. This consultation led to a joint definition of the headings and areas making up the document to be produced.
The third phase involved a survey of operators in the tropical timber sector, with the aim of gathering all relevant information on customs and commercial practices and determining the needs of these operators in terms of formalizing contracts and customs, and the corresponding bottlenecks.
The synthesis of the results of these analyses and surveys led to the fourth phase, the drafting of a first version of the "Guidelines and recommendations" document. These documents, structured in thematic sheets, cover a variety of subjects such as INCOTERMS 2020, claims procedures, and tropical wood nomenclature, thus offering a precise and adapted guide for professionals in the sector.
Finally, the fifth phase involved submitting the document to the members of the Wood Materials and Standardization Commission for validation. Thanks to the various feedbacks and discussions within the commission, the documents were refined until a final version was obtained.
These pamphlets will evolve over time to provide you with all the information and recommendations you need. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
You can find these pamphlets in French and English on the ATIBT website via this link.
