Media News Bulletin from PEFC Asia Pacific

PEFC has a distinct message for the consumer this month. On the occasion of the end of PEFC's 20th anniversary year, CEO Ben Gunneberg says we must "choose forest-based materials instead of alternatives such as plastic. If we don’t use our forests, the land will be used for other purposes, such as cattle ranches or soy plantations. Buying forest products, such as wood and paper, gives the forest value, it creates demand, and provides a financial incentive to keep a forest a forest." There's plenty of news here about products from the forests of Asia Pacific and further afield.

 

 

The Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) has awarded the first Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certificates, covering more than 11,400 ha of plantations, belonging to three Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) companies. VRG members own about 300,000 ha rubber plantation in Vietnam. Tran Ngoc Thuan, VRG’s Chairman said he aims to get SFM certificates for over 50,000 ha of rubber plantations in 2020, along with PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates for 21 factories.Read more.

 

 

SLVK, KAN, IAF, TPAC, IFCC and PEFC. Lots of acronyms at work for Indonesia. A clear sign that sustainable forestry management is being taken seriously. SVLK (Sistem Verificasi Legalitas Kayu) is Indonesia’s national timber assurance process, a mandatory, legality and sustainability certification system built on a national multi-stakeholder consensus. KAN (Komite Akreditasi Nasional) is the National Accreditation Body of Indonesia and is, in turn, a member of the IAF, the International Accreditation Forum. Additional support for forest management in the region is coming from the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC). While its main job is to make sure Netherlands keeps its commitment to 100% sustainable timber, it has also given Indonesia’s forest certification system a top score, thanks to the work of IFCC, the national governing body for PEFC. Read how PEFC manages these standards.

 

 

While studies are showing that the majority of consumers say they would change their consumption habits to reduce environment impact, never has it been so important to use sustainable materials, to know that your products come from sustainable sources and to prove that to your customers. PEFC strongly believes that increasing the use of sustainable, certified forest-based packaging has huge potential to not only help companies meet sustainability targets, but also to have a positive impact on the world’s forests and forest communities. Stakeholders and industry watchers - including dozens from Asia Pacific countries - joined the 23 June Webinar on "Creating impact through responsibly sourced packaging". Read More

 

 

Besides alleviating the effects of climate change and natural disasters, forests represent some of the richest biologically diverse areas on Earth. The true value of a forest is recognised by Responsible Wood, the Australian National Governing Body for PEFC, which also plays an important role supporting the Australian Made Campaign, promoting the many benefits of using renewable, locally-made timber framing products to build new homes. Responsible Wood also draws attention to artists who are working with wood - see image of wood sculpture by Dave Hickson - as it offers great flexibility for expression, is natural and is sustainably sourced. You can read more here.

 

With its origins in Europe, Global Timber - as its name implies - operates in the global market place, now with a base in Malaysia to serve the Asia Pacific. As a player in the international wood industry, it is at the forefront of contributing to the preservation of global forests through sustainable behaviour, environmental certifications and compliance with various important environmental certifications. With that in mind, Global Timber states categorically: "PEFC is a good way to document and prove the sustainability of our products." Read More