Media News Bulletin from PEFC Asia Pacific April 2021

Chain of Custody Training Reinforces Transparency & Traceability in Supply & Sourcing from Sustainable Forests
 
Nothing stands still for PEFC in Asia Pacific, its fastest growing region of the world. This week auditors, reviewers and certification decision makers are going through the PEFC Chain of Custody training with the Indonesian Forestry Certification Cooperation (IFCC) from 6 to 8 April. This provides an introduction to the revised 2020 PEFC Chain of Custody standard - which is applied consistently around the world - and exists to reinforce the importance of transparency and traceability in the supply chain, as well as provide assurances that wood products originate from sustainably managed forestsRead more about PEFC-IFCC training here.
 
Sustainable & Legal Forest Trade in Lower Mekong Region
 
 
A new PEFC-FOR-TRADE project, in collaboration with the UN-REDD Programme’s initiative for the Lower Mekong, will promote trade and sustainable forest management (SFM), and at the same time reduce pressure on forests through improved governance in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. PEFC’s Forestry and Trade for Development in the ASEAN region aims to strengthen trade through improved forest certification infrastructure, supporting the reduction of trade barriers, promoting sustainable wood trade, improving livelihoods, and contributing to biodiversity protection. The UN-REDD Programme involves working with key institutions in these countries, and in China, to reduce the opportunities for forest crime by strengthening forest governance, particularly by increasing the effectiveness of systems designed to ensure legal and sustainable trade in timber. There’s more.
 
Sustainable Apparel: Forest Fibres for Fashion Textiles
 
 
Forest fibres for fashion textiles was featured in the first issue of PEFC’s Pulse newsletter last month – issued for International Day of the Forests - which also drew attention to PEFC’s participation, as sponsor and speaker, in Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference on 27 – 29 April 2021, exploring how brands can transform factories, engage consumers, drive circularity, and reduce climate impacts across fashion and textile supply chains. Also speaking at the virtual event Cherie Tan, vice president, communications and sustainability for Asia Pacific Rayon, a member of the APRIL Group, which is a PEFC International Stakeholder Member. Listen to what Ben Gunneberg had to say about the benefits for the apparel sector from switching to forest-based fibres.
 
Profiling Values & Virtues of Sustainable Timber Sourcing
 
 
PEFC's latest interview in the series ‘Meeting our certified companies’, Kevin Hill, CEO of Venturer Pte Ltd is featured. Amid the construction works on Changi Chapel, Singapore’s first PEFC certified project, he spoke about the beginnings of his company and the meaning of PEFC certification to him and his customers. "Project certification is an important link in a valuable narrative about the virtues of sustainable timber sources," Kevin insists. "Without project certification, the story stops with the manufacturer, not at the project itself. This means that the effort of sourcing timber responsibly cannot ultimately be proven and therefore claimed by the project owner. Without it, the public cannot engage in a meaningful way when entering a beautifully built PEFC-certified timber structure." Read the full story.
 
Do-It Yourself with SGEC-PEFC Certified Materials in Japan
 
 
 
A Do-It-Yourself store in Japan has started to sell PEFC-certified goods. Cainz Home, a popular retailer for DIY goods, opened Cainz Asaka as the first domestic home centre/DIY store where forest certified materials are available. Among goods on display are SGEC/PEFC-certified European spruce plywood, using Russian conifer (larch) material, SGEC-certified domestic thinned wood and board (Japanese cedar). Asaka Lead Town, where the DIY store is located, has been engaged in various initiatives, such as promotion of sustainable “Kotozukuri (value creation)” and contributing towards achieving other Sustainable Development goals. Read more in the SGEC Newsletter.
 
Sustainable Timber Supply Chain for Patina Maldives Resort
 
 
A new resort in the Fari Islands, Patina Maldives is putting sustainability front and centre. Not only is the resort using PEFC-certified timber, but the onsite James Turrell Skyspace is PEFC Project Certified by Venturer TimberworkDouble Helix Tracking Technologies and SourceMap were engaged to verify the timber supply chain for the featured Skyspace from the European forest to Indian Ocean island. The Patina resort developer Pontiac Land of Singapore also insisted: "During construction of the Fari Islands, energy consumption was reduced by an estimated 12% through sustainable practices such as the use of prefabricated materials, which significantly reduced waste and carbon emissions versus conventional construction methods. Locally sourced, biodegradable and reusable materials were used wherever possible; all timber is PEFC-certified and sourced from 100% transparent supply chains. Read all about its sustainability features.
 
New University Building in PEFC Certified CLT by Stora Enso
 
 
One of the largest wooden buildings in the world is being built in Singapore with PEFC-certified Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) by Stora Enso. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is adopting sustainable materials and innovative construction methods to develop its campus. The latest project, Academic Building South (ABS), is a true showcase of sustainable construction and largely utilising Stora Enso CLT, and will to be the new home for Nanyang Business School. At 40,000 m2, it will be one of the largest wooden buildings in Asia upon completion later this year. “Following the SMU campus completed in 2019, this is the second significant learning environment with wood to Singapore,” says Erkki Välikangas, Stora Enso Building Solutions Sales Director in Asia. There's more.
 
Japan's First Office Building Project SGEC-PEFC Certified
 
 
Nomura Real Estate Development has gained SGEC/PEFC Project Chain of Custody certification - a first for real estate developers in the office building sector - for a brand new property in the heart of Tokyo. Named “H¹O Hirakawa-cho”, the building meets the emerging trend for small-sized offices catering to less than 10 employees. The upper floor of the building commands a fine view of the green of the Imperial Palace. The timber used for this project was Japanese cedar grown and produced in a certified forest located at Tama District of Tokyo. SGEC/PEFC project certification has been already awarded for the roof of the club house in Ariake Tennis Forest and the Upside Down Fuji Monument of The Mt. Fuji World Herritage Centre in Shizuoka. Read More.
 
Unicharm Meets 2 SDG Goals with PEFC Certified Products
 
 
In another first for Japan, the PEFC mark will be shown on the packages of the highest quality premium paper diapers produced by Unicharm Products, a subsidiary of Unicharm Corporation, which has acquired Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for its five domestic plants. The Unicharm group is committed to using materials (paper and pulp) derived from wood grown in managed forests, so the certification provides proof of using sustainable resources, demonstrating that it is achieving two of the Sustainable Development Goals: SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 15 Life on Land. Read more.
 
PEFC Answers Greenpeace on Certification & Deforestation
 
 
“Forest certification is an important part of the toolbox needed to stop deforestation, protect biodiversity, safeguard livelihoods, and provide society with wood as a sustainable, renewable raw material,” said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International. “Forest certification is not designed to solve issues like deforestation by itself. This is because many of the factors causing deforestation are outside forestry, such as the demand for land for agricultural production. We need to employ multiple tools, ensure the support of all stakeholders, and work collaboratively to achieve our common objective: safeguarding our forests,” added Mr Gunneberg. He was commenting on the Greenpeace report on forest certification. Read more.
 

Barbie Ternyata Pernah Memboikot Produk Indonesia

Sabtu 10 Apr 2021 07:14 WIB

Red: Joko Sadewo

 

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Ekonom senior Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) Dradjad Wibowo mengatakan bahwa produk pulp and paper Indonesia pernah diboikot Mattel, yang memproduksi Barbie.

“Terkait dengan isu keberlanjutan dan lingkungan, produk kita diboikot oleh perusahaan-perusahaan besar di luar negeri. Salah satunya yang memproduksi Barbie, yaitu Mattel. Mereka memboikot produk pulp and paper dari Indonesia,” kata Dradjad, dalam perbincangan dengan Republika.co.id, Sabtu (10/4). Boikot produk Indonesia, lanjut Dradjad, juga dialami pada produksi sawit.

Dradjad yang juga anggota Dewan atau Board dari Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), menjelaskan kasus pemboikotan terhadap pulp and paper asal Indonesia itu terjadi pada sekira satu dekade silam. Sebagai negara yang menjadi 10 pemain utama pulp and paper dunia, boikot ini membuat Indonesia babak belur. Ini terjadi sekitar 2009, 2010, 2011.

Isu lingkungan juga membuat industri furnitur Indonesia juga mengalami kesulitan. Untuk mengatasi ini, Dradjad mengatakan saat itu ia kemudian mengusulkan agar dibuat sertifikasi pengelolaan hutan lestari.

 

“Kami baru mulai lakukan sertifikasi tahun 2015, berasosiasi dengan Jenewa karena sertifikasi ini bukan hanya nasional, tapi bagian dari sertifikasi kehutanan terbesar di dunia,” kata Ketua Dewan Pakar PAN ini.

 

Sumber: https://republika.co.id/berita/qrbnbs318/embarbie-em-ternyata-pernah-memboikot-produk-indonesia

 

Indonesia’s Rate of Deforestation Dropped for Four Years in a Row

From The Guardian:

Smoke billows from a fire in the Amazon rainforest in Oiapoque, Amapa state, Brazil, last October.

“Deforestation is decreasing in Indonesia, which has dropped out of the WRI’s list of top three countries for primary forest loss for the first time. Tree loss in Indonesia in 2020 fell for the fourth year in a row, down from a peak in 2016 after devastating forest and peat fires led the government to place a moratorium on the cutting down of primary forest and converting peatland to agriculture while restricting licensing for palm oil plantations.” Read more

From New York Times:

A wildfire burned through part of the vast Pantanal wetlands in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, in August.

“Indonesia and Malaysia were rare bright spots, with forest loss declining from 2019. For Indonesia, 2020 marked the fourth year in a row of declines, a sign the government was having success in its efforts to halt deforestation following a horrific fire season in 2015.“ Read more

From World Resources Institute: 

"While global deforestation numbers are distressing, progress in Southeast Asia offers a bright spot.

Indonesia’s rate of primary forest loss decreased for the fourth year in a row in 2020, one of only a few countries to do so. Indonesia also dropped out of the top three countries for primary forest loss for the first time since our record-keeping began." Read more

 

 

Pengamat: Pemerintah Lemah Tangani Strategi Dagang ke Global

Jakarta, Gatra.com - Ekonom INDEF (Institute for Development of Economics and Finance), Drajad Wibowo, mengungkapkan ada 1 hal yang tampaknya pemerintah agak lemah menangani strategi perdagangan Indonesia ke pasar global.

"Yaitu isu-isu yang terkait dengan sustainability ya, isu-isu yang terkait dengan lingkungan hidup, sustainabilitas dan terkait dengan human rights. Karena sekarang ini perdagangan tidak murni hanya masalah harga saja, tidak murni masalah kepentingan bidang harga dan kualitas, tapi sudah masuk ke isu-isu yang non-ekonomi yang menjadi preferensi konsumen di berbagai negara," ungkapnya, dalam webinar yang diselenggarakan oleh Tribunnews.com dengan bertajuk "Dialog Gerakan Ekspor Nasional" (Diginas) pada Selasa sore, (6/4).

Drajad mengatakan, bahwasanya di China itu kurang terkait dengan isu-isu itu, namun di sisi lain Indonesia tak bisa terlalu bergantung pada negara tirai bambu tersebut untuk berbagai kegiatan ekonomi Tanah Air. Sembari ia mengingatkan, ekspor terbesar Indonesia yaitu ke negara China senilai hampir 20 persen, yakni 19,31 persen pada tahun lalu.

"Nilainya itu sekitar 29 miliar dolar lebih ya. Tapi kita tetap juga mengalami defisit perdagangan yang besar dengan China, hampir 10 miliar ya. Impor kita dengan China itu 39 miliar dolar lebih dan dia juga mempunyai peranan hampir 31 persen. Jadi, dominasi peranan China terhadap Indonesia ini apa, cukup, cukup tinggi begitu," terangnya.

Drajad menyarankan agar pemerintah harus melakukan diversifikasi, usaha penganekaragaman produk atau bidang usaha. Namun, di beberapa pasar yang ada, Indonesia terbentur dengan isu sustainabilitas maupun isu lingkungan.

"Saya kasih contoh pulp and paper, itu dulu adalah, pulp and paper itu salah satu ekspor Indonesia dan kita menjadi pemain ke-6 maupun ke-10 terbesar di dunia ya. Tapi kita sempat babak belur di tahun 2009, 2010, 2011 karena terhajar oleh isu sustainability. Sehingga kemudian kita diboikot, diboikot oleh nama-nama besar. Mulai dari, bahkan dari Mattel ya, produsen Barbie itu memboikot produk pulp and paper kita. Kemudian juga sirop dan sebagainya memboikot produk-produk kita," tuturnya.

Lanjut Drajad, Indonesa juga mengalami hal yang sama dengan sawit, serta Usaha Mikro Kecil Menengah (UMKM) pun mengalami hambatan yang sama karena isu lingkungan hidup maupun isu human rights atau Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM). Menurutnya, Indonesia perlu lebih pro-aktif guna mendorong para pelaku ekonomi, serta melindunginya dari kedua isu tersebut.

"Kita perlu diversifikasi pasar, jangan hanya tergantung pada 1 negara, jangan tergantung pada Cina saja, Amerika saja, itu enggak bagus. Untuk melakukan diversifikasi tersebut, itu tidak jarang bahkan sering sekali kita terhantam oleh 2 isu tadi (isu lingkungan dan HAM). Nah untuk 2 isu tadi, pemain non-pemerintah seperti saya itu bisa melakukan sesuatu. Akan tetapi, enggak akan maksimal kalo negara tidak take the lead untuk melakukan sesuatu terkait dengan 2 isu tadi," pungkas pengamat ekonomi itu.

 

Reporter: Farid Nurhakim
Editor: Bernadetta Febriana

Dradjad Wibowo dalam acara DIGINAS (Dialog Gerakan Ekspor Nasional)

WhatsApp Image 2021-04-06 at 18.47.11.jpeg

 

"Salam Hormat, Salam Cinta Produk Indonesia"

Tribunnews.com telah menggelar DIGINAS (Dialog Gerakan Ekspor Nasional) bertema, “Target Ekspor di Negara Sahabat” di ruang virtual, Selasa 6 April, pukul 14.00 WIB.

Dialog terbuka bagi insan pers, pelaku usaha serta masyarakat dengan Menteri Perdagangan M Lutfi (keynote speaker), lima Duta Besar RI dan ekonom INDEF, Dradjad Wibowo.

Ekonom INDEF Dradjad Hari Wibowo menilai Indonesia memiliki kelemahan dalam diplomasi atau strategi perdangangan terkait isu-isu lingkungan hidup (sustainability) dan hak asasi manusia (human rights).

Bercermin pada hal itu, baru dibuat sertifikasi untuk melawan isu non-ekonomi yakni lingkungan hidup dan hak asasi manusia. Setelah sertifikasi, terlihat dampak signifikan lonjakan ekspor produk Indonesia di dunia.