NEWS

The EU's new deforestation law will pose significant challenges to companies exporting forest products to Europe. The essence of the law is that wood and wood products, among others, can't be connected with "forest removal or land change from forests into non-forests." Failure to comply with the new law may result in being banned from exporting to the EU market.

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A new NASEM report backed the 2022 EPA review that found formaldehyde to be a human carcinogen. However, the American Chemistry Council has challenged several aspects of the report, including the validity of the toxicity values in the EPA's 2022 draft assessment, and stated that the report is not in line with international authorities like the World Health Organization and the European Chemicals Agency.

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In response to the Department of Agriculture's request for information related to greenhouse gas emissions, the Hardwood Federation—which includes DHA—emphasized the sustainability benefits of hardwood products, citing DHA's engineered wood flooring environmental product declaration that shows our floors reduce global warming potential by 80% compared to vinyl plank.

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The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has published its final guidance on the Build America, Buy America Act. Lumber and engineered wood were specifically included in the construction materials category—so, all manufacturing must take place in the U.S. to qualify. DHA has argued that hardwood plywood, veneer, and engineered wood flooring are manufactured products, but it's still unclear if they are considered "engineered wood."

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Decorative Hardwoods Association (formerly HPVA) eNews Volume XVI, Issue XV: Real American Hardwood Coalition Expands Hardwood Ad Campaign | U.S. Imports Of Hardwood Plywood Soar By 60% In May | U.S. Imports Of Engineered Wood Flooring Up By 6% | Cabinet Sales Volume Drops By 13%