There was a growing public perception that timber trade practices were environmentally unsound and we recognised a need to distinguish our practices from others to assure our customers that our intentions were based on sound policy.

We are now able to demonstrate our commitment to responsible forestry within a documented framework using guidelines set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 10 principles and criteria, together with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Our policy has been to promote independant certification which would simplify the process of supplier evaluation. Responsibility for forest policy lies with each sovereign Government and people of forested countries and we believe that we have a responsiblity to our customers, suppliers and staff to base our commercial activities on properly managed forests.

The Timber Trade Federation supports the "concept of credible certification" and has stated that "the timber industry has a clear responsibility to ensure that timber supplied derives from well managed forests".

In January 1996 Clarks Wood Company Ltd. joined the WWF 1995 + Group and have subsequently adopted its " Philosophy and Modus Operandi" detailing its members Commitments, Targets and Obligations for the sourcing of well managed forest products.

As members of the WWF-UK Forest and Trade Network, we acknowledge that sustainability and the environment have emerged as key issues in the forest industry and that in due course chain of custody verification, certification and ISO14001 Environmental Management Systems will be inevitable if we are to respond to customer demands to know "where the timber is coming from".

To achieve this we have adopted a continuous process of assessment to ensure that our customers will be able to purchase timber that can be traced to sources whose forest management systems are based on standards which take account of International environmental, ecological, biodiversity, social and economic needs. This includes support for the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Malaysian Timber Council Certification (MTCC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification schemes

The prime objectives of our Responsible Purchasing Policy are -

Clarks Wood Company Ltd and Y.Goldberg & Sons Ltd are committed to the responsible purchasing of forest products. Our long-term aim is to source all forest products that we purchase or specify from well-managed forests that have been certified to credible certification standards. This commitment will be realised through a stepwise approach to responsible purchasing that utilises the best available techniques and information. Clarks Wood Company Ltd and Y.Goldberg & Sons Ltd will not choose to source forest products from: Forests or forest product suppliers that do not comply with all relevant national legislation relating to the trade in forest products. High-conservation-value forests where these are recognized nationally or regionally, unless these forests are progressing towards credible forest certification in a time-bound, stepwise and transparent manner. Protected areas, parks or similar areas where harvesting operations are not complementary to responsible forest management. Forests which are currently being converted to other land uses, or forests that have been converted since 1994. Forests which are in areas of armed conflict or civil unrest where there is a direct relationship between the forest products trade and the funding of such conflicts. To ensure that these goals are achieved Clarks Wood Company Ltd and Y.Goldberg & Sons Ltd will: Scrutinise all suppliers of forest products for all purchases of goods for resale, not-for resale and in all new construction activities. Seek information as to the source of all forest products. Evaluate this information against our stated policy. Continually improve the level of compliance against these policies, with annual reviews, reports and actions agreed with our suppliers. Work with and encourage suppliers and forest sources that are actively engaged in a process of time-bound, transparent, stepwise commitment to credible certification (such as WWF Producer Group members). Work with key stakeholders to ensure that best practice is followed. Set annual, publicly communicated targets regarding our performance. Clarks Wood Company Ltd and Y.Goldberg & Sons Ltd endorse all local, state and national laws and international conventions (including but not limited to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), World Heritage Convention (WHC), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)) as well as moratoriums on logging, declarations of protected areas, forestry laws, environmental protection legislation, and labour and social laws. Clarks Wood Company Ltd and Y.Goldberg & Sons Ltd will never knowingly become involved in, collude with or purchase timber from illegal logging operations. We will work with our supply chain to ensure where feasible that all forest products originate from forests where there is full legal and verifiable title to the land and where the harvester has all relevant and current permits and approvals. We will ensure that all products are extracted with the full authorisation of those holding rights to the land or forest resources and with the required authorisation, permits and approvals from all relevant government agencies. Revised 19.09.2006

Pending wider acceptance of International certification standards and the increased availability of timber which has been independantly certified we must decide for ourselves which sources are acceptable. We intend making those decisions based on the information our suppliers provide through completion of our Responsible Purchasing Policy Questionnaire. Our prime objective is to then work with our suppliers towards compliance rather than to simply reject a non-compliant.