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 ISPM 15 is an International Phytosanitary
Measure developed by the IPPC that directly addresses the
need to treat wood materials of a thickness greater than
6mm, used to ship products between countries. It affects all
wood packaging material (pallets, crates, dunnages,
etc)requiring that they be treated with heat or fumigated
with methyl bromide and marked, often branded [1], with a
seal of compliance. This seal of compliance is colloquially
known as the "bug stamp." Products exempt from the ISPM 15
are made from alternative material, like paper, plastic or
manufactured wood products (eg. plywood).
Import regulations
for packaging containers made from solid wood -
IPPC
standard
Many countries have put quarantine
regulations in place to protect their native forests from
the introduction of wood pests. In order to prevent the
proliferation of differing import regulations, the
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
Secretariat, part of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations, has issued ISPM 15 (International
Standards for Phytosanitary Measures) "Guidelines for
Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade".
The key features of IPSM 15:
IPSM 15 applies only to solid wood,
with derived timber products and solid wood thinner than 6
mm (according to the EU Harmonized System) being exempt.
Treatment of the packaging by approved measures, which
include heat treatment (HT) to a core temperature of 56°C
for at least 30 minutes, for example by kiln drying (KD),
provided that the above-stated specifications are achieved.
Chemical pressure impregnation (CPI) is approved only if the
required HT specifications are achieved, which is not
generally the case. Another measure is fumigation with
methyl bromide (MB) depending on concentration, duration and
temperature.
Permanent and legible marking of the packaging must be
provided on two opposite sides of the package. The mark is
composed of the ISO 3166 two letter country code (e.g. DE
for Germany), the regional identifier (e.g. NW for North
Rhine-Westphalia) and a registration number issued by the
regional phytosanitary authority to the packaging container
manufacturer, the packer or the consignor (unique number
beginning with 49). The treatment method is denoted by the
abbreviation HT for heat treatment or MB for fumigation with
methyl bromide. The letters DB may also be included where
debarking is required.
Figure 1: Example of IPPC mark
a. Trademark - the identifying symbol, logo, or name of the
accredited agency
b. Facility Identification - product manufacturer name,
brand or assigned facility number
c. Heat Treated mark
d. Country Code - the two letter ISO country abbreviation
e. Approved International symbol for compliant wood
packaging material
f. Indication of use for dunnage (may be spelled out fully)
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