As a member of WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network in the UK since 2004, Robert Horne Group Ltd is committed to progressively sourcing forest products from well managed sources. To monitor our progress, we collect as much information on our supply chain sources as possible, and categorise this to enable us to identify where any risks of poor sourcing may lie, and to eliminate them systematically from our supply chain into the UK market.

The new EU Regulation to limit the trade in illegal timber, which comes into full effect on 3^rd March 2013 provides a baseline of legality as a minimum for forest goods entering the European market and reaching consumers. Our business wants to make sure that we are playing our part in reducing the UK footprint on global forest resources, and to source sustainably.

To highlight the change we have achieved so far, to draw attention to the challenges that remain in order to meet the EU regulation, and to exceed the requirements of the regulation by sourcing sustainably and identify our priorities in doing so, we are publishing the status of our supply chain for forest goods as we have established it so far, according to the WWF Global Forest and Trade Network categorisation of forest goods.

We hope our decision to be transparent about our performance on forest sourcing will prompt others in the sector to do the same, and initiate discussion about how business can overcome the remaining challenges in partnership with other stakeholders, including government.

We encourage all forest certification systems to continuously improve their performance in delivering responsible forest management. At present, WWF and GFTN participants believe FSC represents the gold standard and a credible benchmark for other forest certification schemes to match, and it remains our preference to increasingly source from credibly certified forests or verified recycled sources.

Our status for the forest products reported for the 2010 calendar year is as follows:

9.0%      No information on origin
0.3%      Known origin but no legality verification possible
18.5%    Legal origin confirmed
0.0%      In the process of becoming credibly certified
65.2%    Credibly Certified with Full Chain of Custody
1.6%       Pre-consumer Recycled
5.4%       Post-consumer Recycled

http://www.roberthorne.co.uk/environment/policy-statement/

Scope of reporting

- All forest products for resale and or end use in business delivery

Challenges

1. Maintaining comprehensive understanding of supply chain information against a background of commercial pressures that are driving the need for a broader range of products to supply to customers.

2. Promoting the importance of using certified and credibly sources of supply within our customer base, so as to lead the market away from unknown sources of product.

3. Improve internal systems so as to more easily support procurement decision making with upto date and readily available information on supplier and product credentials.

Priorities

1. Populating, implementing and communicating the new supplier environmental information database being developed at a global level by Robert Horne's owning company, Paperlinx. Key within this will be the engagement of the procurement teams in using the database when sourcing product suppliers, so as to help them make decisions based on environmental parameters rather than just commercial.

2.Continue to promote the benefits of using FSC and recycled products within in our Customer base, via marketing and sales activity. And in supporting this, work to move more of our products into the credibly certified category and expand our range of recycled products.