Media News Bulletin from PEFC Asia Pacific January 2021

 

 

All businesses in Asia Pacific which are selling PEFC-certified products are encouraged to use the PEFC label on both products and all promotional materials, such as brochures, posters and websites. The label enables a business to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, as well as to highlight its engagement with sustainable forest management. By generating awareness and demand for products from PEFC-certified forests, businesses are helping to increase the value of forests and therefore reduce the risk of deforestation. PEFC has introduced a Label Generator so businesses can customise the label to suit every need, while being assured that the label remains in line with prescribed graphic requirements. Read more here.

 

 

 

More than 50% of the Malaysia’s landmass is still blanketed by forests after 63 years of post-independence nation-building. How did a country that relied so heavily on its primary resources, manage to maintain so much of its forest areas amidst population growth and meeting demands for more infrastructure and pressure to extract more timber? The answer lies in the appreciation and far-sighted vision of the country’s leadership towards sustainable development. That’s one clear message in Malaysia’s participation at Expo 2020, scheduled for 1 Oct. 2021 to 31 March 2022. More from MTCC here.

 

 

 

A Thailand manufacturer is producing high quality and environmentally-friendly wood pellet biomass fuel, using wood from rubber trees, which contributes to, and promotes, sustainable forest management through PEFC certification. “We aim to increase using renewable energy, especially from wood pellets, which are environmentally-friendly”, says Surapol Siripongsakorn, Chief Executive of PHATTANAPHAN CHEMITECH. Their wood pellets have high density, low humidity, producing a very high combustion efficiency, with less ash and are easy to transport, thereby reducing its carbon footprint and attaining PEFC certification. More on the process here.

 

 

 

“Myanmar has demonstrated a very good commitment to the Sustainable Forest Management in the last few years, not only in the project but also in the development of the international scheme, and PEFC looks forward to the continued cooperation and collaboration with Myanmar Forest Certification Committee' (MFCC)” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General/CEO of PEFC. “Without the support from the PEFC and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, we (MFCC) cannot be here right now, it is not the end but just the beginning,” said Win Hlaing, CEO of MFCC-PEFC Project. More from Myanmar here.

 

 

 

Responsible Wood has welcomed an announcement by the leading retail chain Woolworths that it will be stocking PEFC-certified Australian-made paper bags in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Woolworths’ paper shopping bags were first launched in June 2020 in response to customer demand for a paper carry bag option. Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director, Natalie Davis said: “Earlier this year we introduced the option of a paper bag, which can be recycled at home, and the feedback from customers has been positive.” More and more, shoppers are ditching plastic packaging and instead opting for environmentally friendly alternatives including naturally recyclable, fibre-based products. More from Responsible Wood here.

 

 

“In times of a pandemic such as this, we’re obliged to make sure our homes are equipped to serve as a workplace – office, study, studio or even factory – as more and more of us have been forced to stay at home. So what really matters to consumers these days when furnishing the home or office?” This was the question asked and answered in a PEFC article in the December 2020 issue of Panels and Furniture Magazine. It drew attention to the importance of sustainability and responsible sourcing, which is at the heart of Singapore-based Soul & Tables, which imports finished furniture from Europe to sell in Singapore and South East Asia, making sure that all its wood products are ethically sourced and from sources certified by PEFC. More in Panels & Furniture

 

 

 

Ensuring a balance between the development of the timber industry and the conservation of forests - numbered among the world’s oldest forests - is the role of certification, said Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) chairman Kamaruzaman Mohamad. He added, “Ensuring proper balance between development and nature preservation is not a walk in the park, especially when Malaysia depends on timber resources as one of its income earners. The only way to achieve this balance is by managing the resources sustainably and when it comes to timber, certification is the key.” Read the full report in The Star. 

 

 

 

On 28 December 2020, Indonesian Forestry Certification Cooperation (IFCC) notified that Double Helix Tracking Technologies has been appointed to perform Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification against the PEFC/IFCC ST 2002:2013 standard in Indonesia. Also, as the CertiSource Legality Assurance System (CLAS) is ceasing operation in Indonesia on 21st January, and as DoubleHelix is now accredited to offer PEFC Certification there, all existing customers are being notified and advised of alternative schemes, including PEFC Controlled Sources, as well as the IFCC-KSK Forest Management certification scheme. Read all about it.

 

 

 

PEFC has its stamp on the long-awaited 40^th anniversary commemorative book for the Lions Home for the Elders, the leading seniors care home charity in Singapore. After an 18-month journey, with troublesome delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hard cover 100-page well-illustrated coffee table book appeared. Like his earlier book, “Race for Sustainability”, author Ken Hickson insisted this should be printed on PEFC-certified paper. Thanks to the co-operation of Times Printers and OVOL (formerly Spicers), who ensured that the best papers were available - Gold East from APP and Paperone from April – the book was delivered before the end of 2020. Go to SASA for more.