Topic: us policy

This publication is part of a series of case studies is intended to show commercial buyers of wood and paper-based products how their supply chains can conform with U.S. legal requirements on importing certain types of wood. The case studies, compiled by the Forest Legality Alliance, draw lessons from emerging best practices for managing risk in high-risk contexts.

This study focuses on two mahogany supply chains that originate in remote, biodiversity-rich forests in Honduras. The wood is harvested by community cooperatives and used to make guitars in the United States. The issue brief describes two approaches buyers use to minimize the risk of sourcing illegal wood. The first approach is to establish strong relationships with suppliers, and the second is to prefer certified wood.

This series of case studies is intended to show commercial buyers of wood and paper-based products how their supply chains can conform with U.S. legal requirements on importing certain types of wood. The case studies, compiled by the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA), draw lessons from emerging best practices for managing risk in high-risk contexts.

In this case, WRI worked with IKEA on a demonstration study focused on the production of a composite product (board materials such as particle board, Medium Density Fiber Board, etc). We looked at the controls needed to procure the raw material for this product’s manufacture. The study reviews how IKEA’s internal systems work to ensure that source materials are purchased with an adequate level of due care.

One of the goals of this report is to initiate a discussion with policy makers and the private sector on implementation of due care systems to ensure that materials are sourced legally. Specifically, we hope to address how the United States can import composite products that are largely made up of waste materials and produced by a number of diverse, small producers within a weak local governance system while still showing a high level of due care. One focus is the level of detail that IKEA is trying to achieve. The report looks at this policy’s applicability in the field and its practicability for Lacey Act’s reporting requirements.

The largest electric power industry trade group, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), produced a slide in 2010 (updated in May 2011) that purports to display an onslaught of new requirements for power plants. WRI has identified four categories of EPA activities on the EEI timeline that are potentially misleading. This fact sheet updates the analysis done in our earlier response to EEI’s timeline of environmental regulations.

The Open Climate Network (OCN) is an independent, international partnership that tracks and reports on the progress of key countries on climate change. OCN analysis is prepared by partners around the world covering climate finance, mitigation policy, and clean technology.

The U.S. FSF contribution of $5.1B reflects a positive effort made in challenging political and economic circumstances, but there is more to be done. Congress and key agencies have increased funding for climate change objectives relative to the pre-FSF period, and have begun to integrate climate considerations into ongoing portfolios. The global economic recession and the resulting pressure to cut spending, however, combined with an active subset of policy-makers who oppose U.S. action on climate change, have impeded further increases to climate finance.

The U.S. electric power system is gradually shifting toward cleaner forms of generation. One sign of this transition is the declining use of coal for electric power production. This fact sheet examines the reasons for this transition and potential results.