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Last week the European Union’s Parliament passed new legislation that will halt the entrance of illegal wood into European nations. This is a major victory for forests and wildlife around the world.

Currently it is estimated that 20% of Europe’s wood comes from illegally logged sources that contribute to deforestation, loss of species, global carbon emissions, and economic losses worldwide.

The new laws will help both businesses and individuals who buy products made from wood to ask questions about where the wood comes from and determine whether or not it has been acquired through legal channels. Wood is used to make a vast number of items we use on daily basis including furniture, paper, musical instruments, and flooring.

“With this law, the black economy for wood products in Europe will be closed for business, leveling the playing field so companies are better able to act sustainably” remarked Sebastian Risso, Greenpeace’s Forest Policy Director.

After Europe’s Parliament voted 644-25 in favor of the new law, Sati Hassi, a Finnish representative in Parliament who helped lead the push for the new protections also claimed that it was “ a major international breakthrough.”

The central idea to the new timber ban is that it will cut off demand for cheaper, illegal wood by creating strong penalties for those who disregard laws. Many of the world’s most biodiverse regions, such as South America’s Amazon Rainforest and Southeast Asia’s tropical rainforests have been threatened because of illegal logging. Now hopefully these places will be easier to protect, as groups that harvest illegal wood sources will be left without buyers.

Europe’s ban on illegal timber comes several years after the United States became the first country in the world to ban illegal timber in 2008. The ban was accomplished after a coalition of environmental groups, U.S. timber companies, labor unions, and government agencies successfully lobbied for an amendment to an old law known as the Lacey Act.

With the combined power of both Europe and the U.S. deterring the illegal logging industry it is hoped that other nations will follow suit. In the wake of Europe’s success there has already been one piece of good news. An Australian government official has said that a campaign promise will be honored to craft similar legislation for Australia.

If you would like to learn more about how we can stop the illegal timber trade, click here to watch an excellent 4-minute video from the Environmental Investigation Agency about “How the Lacey Act is Changing the Global Timber Trade.”

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