{"id":1243,"date":"2019-05-07T09:05:13","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T08:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/?p=1243"},"modified":"2019-05-07T09:05:13","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T08:05:13","slug":"barcodes-vs-illegal-logging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/barcodes-vs-illegal-logging\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unlikely Battle: Barcodes vs. Illegal Logging"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While it might be hard to imagine, barcodes have become an integral part in the fight against illegal logging in countries around the world.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/barcodes-logging.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1244\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/barcodes-logging.jpg\" alt=\"Barcodes have become an integral part in the fight against illegal logging in countries around the world.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/barcodes-logging.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/barcodes-logging-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/barcodes-logging-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Negative Impacts of Illegal Logging<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbank.org\/en\/topic\/forests\/brief\/forest-law-enforcement-governance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The World Bank<\/a> has estimated that illegal logging costs the world\u2019s economy in excess of\u00a0$10\u00a0billion every year in lost taxes and reduction in market prices for wood products. While that may be reason enough for companies to take this issue seriously, there is also the major negative impact deforestation is having on our natural world.<\/p>\n<p>Wood is a great store of carbon, and forests across the world act as giant lungs absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Most people agree that climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the world today \u2013 and illegal logging is fuelling that problem.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how barcodes are helping.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Barcode Technology<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Liberia has a history of illegal logging, and has subsequently faced years of logging bans. However, a program started in 2008 aimed at enhancing a legal logging trade in the country has revolutionised timber trades around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Oxford-based company Helveta, now trading as Elements Software, are behind the technology. Durable plastic barcodes are hammered into felled trees, their stumps, and any processed wood products, to identify the wood source. The barcode is scanned by the forestry managers on site using a handheld device, and the information is uploaded and stored on a secure database.<\/p>\n<p>The information held in the trees\u2019 unique barcodes includes their felling location, species, length, diameter and volume of wood, as well as their destination. This live data stream means that at any point the barcode can be scanned, and the history and future for the wood can be tracked.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How Does This Stop Illegal Logging?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean bad guys aren\u2019t able to chop trees down when they shouldn\u2019t, but it does mean that the illegally felled wood is hard to move \u2013 wood without barcodes is viewed as illegal and therefore cannot pass through processing or distribution plants.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What This Means for the Wider Audience<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As with every industry where proof of origin is important, the barcode system allows governments to collect more timber taxes, which in theory should help the communities of these countries, which are often poor. More accurate records of logging activities also mean companies can be held accountable for their actions much more seamlessly than with older paper record systems.<\/p>\n<p>In the UK, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsc-uk.org\/en-uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FSC<\/a> (Forest Stewardship Council) is perhaps the most recognisable symbol and name when it comes to buying wood for our latest DIY project or when we\u2019re choosing retailers to buy wooden furniture or products from. We have come to expect the wood in our tables, floors and timber-frame houses to come from sustainable sources. This modern view of responsibility when it comes to the environment, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sustainable-business\/tracking-timber-new-technology-supply-chain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tougher import laws<\/a> in the US and Europe, means that those at the very start of the timber trade journey are increasingly accountable for their practices.<\/p>\n<p>Barcode technology in timber tracing is now in use in countries like Honduras in Central America, Indonesia in SE Asia, as well as African countries like Liberia, where it all began.<\/p>\n<p>We love hearing about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/blog\/three-practical-totally-awesome-uses-of-barcode-technology\/\">cool uses for barcodes<\/a> and how they\u2019re helping the modern world \u2013 next time you see a barcode label on your tin of beans, just think of the impact those black and white bars are having on the wider world!<\/p>\n<p>If you want to update your business with the latest barcode options, or any other label needs you may have, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tantolabels.com\/contacts\">contact Tanto Labels<\/a> to see how we can help you!<\/p>\n<div data-counters='1' data-style='square' data-size='regular' data-url='https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/barcodes-vs-illegal-logging\/' data-title='An Unlikely Battle: Barcodes vs. Illegal Logging' class='linksalpha_container linksalpha_app_3'><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='facebook' class='linksalpha_icon_facebook'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='twitter' class='linksalpha_icon_twitter'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='googleplus' class='linksalpha_icon_googleplus'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='mail' class='linksalpha_icon_mail'><\/a><\/div><div data-position='' data-url='https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/barcodes-vs-illegal-logging\/' data-title='An Unlikely Battle: Barcodes vs. Illegal Logging' class='linksalpha_container linksalpha_app_7'><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='facebook' class='linksalpha_icon_facebook'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='twitter' class='linksalpha_icon_twitter'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='googleplus' class='linksalpha_icon_googleplus'><\/a><a href='\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/share?network='mail' class='linksalpha_icon_mail'><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While it might be hard to imagine, barcodes have become an integral part in the fight against illegal logging in countries around the world. The Negative Impacts of Illegal Logging The World Bank has estimated that illegal logging costs the world\u2019s economy in excess of\u00a0$10\u00a0billion every year in lost taxes and reduction in market prices for wood products. While that may be reason enough for companies to take this issue seriously, there is also the major negative impact deforestation is having on our natural world. Wood is a great store of carbon, and forests across the world act as giant lungs absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. Most people agree that climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the world today \u2013 and illegal logging is fuelling that problem. Here\u2019s how barcodes are helping. Barcode Technology Liberia has a history of illegal logging, and has subsequently faced years of logging bans. However, a program started in 2008 aimed at enhancing a legal logging trade in the country has revolutionised timber trades around the world. Oxford-based company Helveta, now trading as Elements Software, are behind the technology. Durable plastic barcodes are hammered into felled trees, their stumps, and any processed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-barcodes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1245,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions\/1245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tantolabels.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}