Small and medium-sized furniture companies in the EU market who need ID cards are caught off guard

The EU's "Law of Country of Origin" requires that wood products imported into the EU market must obtain an FSC "identity card", which proves that the wood purchased by the production enterprise is produced from a legally developed forest. This bill will take effect on March 3, 2013.

No reduction in orders from FSC certified companies

The reporter visited some furniture companies and found that companies with FSC certificates had a smooth road to Europe. When the reporter asked about the bill, the CEO of a furniture company immediately showed the FSC certificate to the reporter. He told reporters that all the logs used for the wooden doors produced by the company were purchased from Germany, France and other countries, and they were timber with an "identity card".

The CEO said that although it is still two years before the regulations come into effect, European customers have already proposed FSC certification as early as the last Canton Fair.

He said that because the company is undertaking mid- to high-end orders, the wood used has been certified products from European countries, so this bill has not caused losses to the company.

Li Jiawei, director of another company, also told reporters that since the wood selected by the company has already passed this certification, he is not worried about it. Li Jiawei said that the company is more sensitive to the European market. In order to meet customer demands, the company has been purchasing logs from New Zealand and the United States, so it has not been dragged down by this.

But these two industry insiders bluntly stated that the use of "illegal logs" is concentrated on small and medium-sized enterprises, and they will suffer relatively serious impacts.

"Unprepared." An official of the company, who did not wish to be named, used the term to describe the current situation. "We can only abandon the EU market for resale in East Asia," he said.

The person in charge also told reporters that as a small and medium-sized enterprise, they can only attract customers' attention with low prices. If they purchase so-called logs with "identity cards" in European and American countries, they will lose their competitive advantage and be difficult in the market. Foothold.

"To take a step back and say that even if you purchase logs from European and American countries, companies can't afford the cost of certification. The cost of a certification will be 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, and then you will have to recertify every year." The person in charge said.

It is reported that the number of Chinese furniture exported to the EU accounts for more than 1/3 of China's global furniture exports. Some people in the industry believe that the strong export lineup of Chinese furniture has spawned this unpredictable bill.

When the EU adopted the "Law of Origin Country" last year, there were also different voices within the EU. Southern European countries and other countries tried to promote the "Law of Country of Origin" in order to protect the European market from cheap imported goods (especially Asian goods). legislation. However, the United Kingdom, Sweden and other countries have expressed their opposition, believing that this law is suspected of protectionism and threat of competition.