BVC’s OLB system admitted to Keurhout-Legal!

Background
Per January 25th 2011 the Keurhout Board of Experts (BoE) has admitted the OLB system of BVC to its Keurhout-Legal System.

The OLB (Origine et Légalité des Bois) standard concerns the legality certification system of BVC (Bureau Veritas Certification), France. The system was developed in 2004 by Eurocertifor,  which has been taken over by BVC, which further developed the OLB system. It has been applied so far in several Central- and West-African countries and Asia. The system is designed to verify that timber has been legally produced (including all operations), acquired and sold by a particular forestry or timber company. The legality-certified timber is traced by certification body BVC throughout the supply chain, based on a traditional paper-based CoC and annual field checks.

Admission of OLB
On request of a group of Keurhout participants a validation study of the OLB system was scheduled. In September 2009, after initial delay due to an internal system review by BVC, the assessment by the BoE started. By October 2010 the BoE could come to a preliminary positive verdict, based on a proposal to adjust the OLB standard. After a one month stakeholder consultation by BVC and the subsequent establishment of the new standard, the BoE took the decision to admit OLB to KH-Legal on January 25th 2011.

The admission of OLB to the Keurhout-Legal System has a validity of 5 years and concerns all OLB certificates issued after January 25th 2011. Only certificates based on the latest set of OLB requirements and procedures (dated 10/12/2010) are valid as KH-Legal. As BVC visits the forest concessions and sawmills for surveillance audits annually, all certified FMU’s and CoC’s will be renewed within a year. The factual admission of specific OLB certified parties to the KH-Legal System is therefore expected to take place until the end of this year on a case by case basis (as soon as an OLB-certificate has been renewed by BVC).
To date the OLB System covers 2.1 million ha of forest, divided over 20 forest concessions in Cameroon, Gabon and Central African Republic. The chain of custody (CoC) actually comprises 21 certificates.
The admission of OLB is considered important for the market supply of legally certified African timber. With the OLB additions the total certified area covered under Keurhout-Legal will amount to more than14 million ha, whereas the total admitted number of CoC holders will increase to well over 200 companies. As a result not only the volume of Keurhout-Legal timber will be increased, but also the volume of Keurhout-Sustainable timber level 2 (of which up to 30 % may consist of Keurhout-Legal timber).
All timber processing companies with an OLB certificate are properly controlled and in compliance with the system’s requirements. BVC verifies compliance at least every year.

Admitted exporting companies in producer countries may request permission to use the Keurhout-Legal logo on-product, in line with the procedures as detailed in the Keurhout-Logo Use Guide.

Information on OLB and BVC
BVC is an international Certification Body with headquarters in France. The Wood and Forestry Department (WFD) of BVC-France provides the system manager of the OLB system. BVC functions as certification body and provides an independent Certification Committee which reviews all the newly issued certificates on a yearly basis. BVC has been accredited by COFRAC, the French National Accreditation Body.