The Missouri General Assembly has introduced legislation that its backers believe will "combat misleading or deceptive practices related to the wood industry.

Under Senate Bill 760, put forth by Missouri Senator Jamie Burger, "Under the act, any person advertising or selling wood products shall not misrepresent a product as a wood product if the product is not derived or harvested from wood."

A concurrent House bill,  HB 1537, carried by Representative Tony Harbison, also aims to stop sellers from selling products they claim are wood, when in reality the product is 'synthetic wood.' 

The bills have been referred to their respective agriculture committees.

Missouri Forest Products Association Executive Director Brian Brookshire called the legislation a victory for the "forest products industry in the state of Missouri and most importantly, consumers.” Brookshire told the Missouri Times that when sellers use deceptive tactics to market their products as real wood to consumers, it can seriously affect the forest products industry in the state and consumers. 

Brookshire told the publication that “knowing the difference between real hardwood and synthetic wood products will allow Missouri consumers to make informed decisions and support a state-wide, multi-billion dollar industry.”

The Times pointed to flooring as an example of the difference between "real" and "synthetic" flooring. flooring market.

The publication named several differences saying that synthetic wood flooring is cheaper, but does not provide as much durability. Wood flooring can also increase the value of a house. Synthetic wood flooring is often not recyclable and has to be burned, which can the story said can be harmful to the environment as it is "more likely to harbor dangerous microorganisms and allergens."