Do you know where the wood in your table or chair comes from? It’s a natural question to ask yourself if you’re serious about living green through the furniture you buy. As you might guess, a lot of wood used in your furniture comes from carbon dioxide-absorbent trees cut down en masse in faraway countries, which might give you pause before buying if you knew about it. James Kanter of the International Herald Tribune reports in his article EU seeks green label for wood furniture that EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas wants to propose a regulation that would require importers and retailers of wood products to report how they got the wood and where they’re planning to send it.

As Kanter mentions, a number of importers and retailers already put stickers on their wood products telling you whether the woodchoppers felled the trees in a sustainable way. Unfortunately, products made from sustainably chopped trees often cost significantly more than than those that aren’t, making it harder for eco-aware consumers to choose a greener alternative. The proposed EU regulation looks like an attempt by a well-meaning government to regulate a market that won’t regulate itself. If it does go through, the proposal faces the inevitable challenge of balancing its ideals with reality. Activists want stringent regulations that ultimately choke off the illegal logging trade, while furniture and wood products retailers naturally hope any impending requirements leave enough wiggle room to keep their showrooms well-stocked.

In any event, the proposal should come sometime later this month. French environment minister Jean-Louis Borloo has already pledged his support, and with France set to begin a 6 month term as president of the EU this summer, unscrupulous loggers should get ready to fight an uphill battle for the foreseeable future.

(Photo via Morguefile)