Forest Certification Ranks Last in Product Selection Criteria for Retailers

When rating various criteria for choosing forest products to sell in their stores, the top building-supply retailers in the U.S. rank environmental certification last. That was the main finding when the top 500 retailers in the country were surveyed in 2005–2006 by Priyan Perera and others at Louisiana State University, with results published in March 2008 in

Forest Products Journal. The survey, which looked at company practices, not practices at individual stores, had a 26% response rate. Of 21 possible criteria, the top considerations for retailers were price, quality, consistent delivery, availability, and customer service. Among the other criteria that rated higher than certification were English-speaking representatives, kiln-dried wood, and e-mail communication with the supplier. When retailers did choose to buy certified wood products, 29% of respondents said that they did so because a product was the only one available, while the same percentage said that they did so to improve the company image. Twenty percent said the choice was a result of an environmental commitment, and 12% said they caved to pressure from environmentalists. Half said they did not pay anything extra for certified products.