International Marketing Practices

contributing to improved forest governance in the target countries [75]. However, similar to the Lacey Act, the FLEGT has unintentionally contributed to a perception that all tropical timber is potentially high-risk, likely contributing to the 60% decrease in tropical lumber imports to the EU from 2003 to 2014 [75]. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM), developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, were created to combat the spread of invasive pests through international trade of plant-based products [76]. ISPM 15: Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade specifically addresses wood packaging material made of unprocessed raw wood, both softwood and hardwood [77]. Packaging included in the standard are pallets, boxes, crates, cable drums, and dunnage. Some materials are considered low-risk and are thus exempt from the standard, including thin wood (6 mm or less in thickness), reconstituted wood (plywood, particleboard, OSB), barrels for wine or spirits, and sawdust or wood shavings. When using a conventional heat chamber or kiln, ISPM 15 requires that wood packaging be heat-treated and that its entire cross section reach 56 ° C for 30 minutes [77]. Requirements differ when using dielectric heating. If heat treatment is not feasible, standard fumigation with methyl bromide is allowed, although not recommended by IPPC due to its ozone depletion [77]. Before any treatment, the wood material must be debarked. Treated material is approved and marked (Figure 5), and supervision and authorization are provided by a national plant protection organization. As of the time of writing, 183 countries participate in the IPPC and its standards. 2 DH=dielectric heating, MB=methyl bromide, SF=sulphuryl fluoride) Figure 5. Example of mark to certify that wood packaging material was subjected to approved treatment according to ISPM 15 [77]. There are additional requirements for remanufactured wood, defined by ISPM 15 as a unit of wood packaging material with approximately one-third of its components replaced. Remanufactured material must have all preexisting marks destroyed, be re-treated, and a mark reapplied according to the standard [77]. XX : country code 000 : producer/treatment provider YY : treatment code (HT=heat treatment,

2 For a list of contracting parties, visit https://www.ippc.int/en/countries/all/list- countries/.

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