If you use wood packaging material when you import goods to the EU, you need to comply with the international standard called ISPM 15. This standard means that wood pallets, other wood packaging and dunnage need to have a special mark that shows that the wood has been treated against pests that would otherwise threaten EU forests.
The concept of wood packaging material is broad. It includes wood or wood products used in supporting, protecting or carrying a commodity. It may take the form of packing cases, crates, boxes, drums and similar containers, pallets, box pallets and other load boards, pallet collars and dunnage used in the transportation of all kinds of products.
Processed wood products that has been processed with glue, heat and/or pressure, and wood packaging material that consists entirely of wood of 6 mm of thickness or less, are excluded.
In order to comply with ISPM 15, wood packaging material must fulfil the following requirements:
The official Swedish Wood Packaging Programme fulfils the requirements of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade.
The Swedish Wood Packaging Programme is based on regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament of the Council on protective measures against pests of plants. The Swedish Board of Agriculture is the official body responsible for this programme in Sweden.
Most Swedish wood packaging material is made from sawn wood which has been heat treated in connection with kiln drying at a sawmill. A limited number of producers of wood packaging material are approved for heat treatment only.
Officially controlled sawmills that supply manufactures of wood packaging material must be approved to mark their sawn wood with the ISPM 15 mark. This approval procedure guarantees that the wood has been treated in accordance with the approved treatments in the Annex 1 to the ISPM 15 standard.
The Swedish wood packaging programme requires debarked wood.
Fumigation with methyl bromide is not allowed in Sweden.
The regulation, set requirements not only for companies producing wood packaging material but also for sawmills producing sawn wood. Only officially registered and approved companies are allowed to use the official marking.
Below you will find two examples of templates. However, you will find further examples in the Annex 2 to the ISPM 15 standard.
Example 1.
Example 2.
Please note that sawn wood for direct use as wood packaging material in international trade should be marked as wood packaging material.
Before you enter into an agreement to buy wood for production of wood packaging material, make sure that the supplier company is authorized to apply the ISPM 15-mark.
For validation, we recommend that the invoice or delivery note shall contain:
The company shall be able to prove that they have an internal system established, securing that:
At the time of inspection, the critical points of the logistics and production process are investigated.
Approved producers of wood packaging material are assessed regularly at minimum once a year.
On the right hand side you will find a list of companies that have been approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture to apply the ISPM 15-mark.
Searching the list
The approved companies are listed under More information. You may for instance search by registration number or company name.
If you cannot find the registration number or the company you are looking for, please contact us. There are a few approved companies that have not given us permission to publish their names on the Internet.
When you import any consignment with wood packaging material to the EU, the wood packaging material need to comply with the FAO International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures, ISPM 15. The ISPM 15 standard lays down guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade and has been implemented in the EU phytosanitary import regulation.
You will find the text of the ISPM 15 in the right-hand column.
In several EU Member States, outbreaks of plant pests have been linked to wood packaging material originating from China and Belarus. The EU has decided on targeted checks of wood packaging material accompanying certain products from China and Belarus. You can find a list of the included taric numbers in the menu on the right.
In Sweden, the Board of Agriculture in cooperation with Swedish Customs check that wood packaging material complies with import requirements laid down by the EU’s and Sweden’s phytosanitary legislation.
The import requirements state:
The targeted control effort will continue until June 30th 2020. However, discussions are on-going in EU to prolong this targeted control. New information will be published as soon an EU-decision is in place.
It is very important that suppliers in China and Belarus use wood packaging material that has been approved in accordance with the ISPM 15 standard.
Products will only be cleared for entry into Sweden once the Board of Agriculture has either
If we find plant pests or incorrect application of the ISPM 15 mark, the entire consignment may be held. The Board of Agriculture may decide on measures in order to enable import, which may entail considerable costs and delays.
Last updated: 2020-07-01