22-25 October 2019 – ATIBT forum: cooperation key to green supply chains

Development of international cooperation and partnerships is vital to ensure the sustainability of forests, promote their development as a key instrument in combating climate change, and build their capacity to meet growing wood consumption. That is a core theme of the Towards Global Green Supply Chains Forum in Shanghai, highlighted in latest news on the event programme from ATIBT (the International Tropical Timber Technical Association).

Taking place on October 22 and 23, the forum is being organised by the ATIBT in collaboration with the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), under its Legal and Sustainable Supply Chains initiative, and in conjunction with the China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association (CTWPDA) and the Chinese Center for International Forest Products Trade, National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

The Forum programme opens with examination of how best to harness and promote the role of the wood industry and productive forests in efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable development.

Presenters and delegates will also focus on global wood supply and demand. Latest trends will be analysed and opportunities for increasing cooperation and communication between consumers and suppliers worldwide discussed.

Another session will be dedicated to the development of legal and sustainable wood supply chains. Topics covered will be the challenge of meeting common standards given widely varying national and international regulation. Incentive mechanisms, timber legality verification, sustainability certification and the use of new technologies in supply chain management will all be addressed.

There will also be an update on the Global Green Supply Chains (GGSC) initiative, which comprises a partnership of 12 leading Chinese Forest Products operations facilitated by the ITTO. This will look at its role in driving cooperation between timber producers, buyers, processing industry and other relevant stakeholders to develop a  platform for “facilitating strategic partnerships and business information exchange’.

The second day of the event will comprise a business forum. Presentations and panel discussions will give delegates the opportunity to share views on the development of effective global green supply timber and wood products chains and the role of the industry in meeting international environmental challenges.

There will also be sessions on the development, challenges, resources and supply potential of the wood industry in the Congo region. These sessions will emphasize the need for sustainable forest management of precious resources in the Congo Basin.

On October 24 and 26 delegates will be invited to join wood flooring site visits around Huzhou, and on the 25 to attend the CTWPDA Global Wood Flooring and Hardwood Conferences in the same city.

To register please follow this link Atibt-shanghai-2019 by September 30 latest. If you have any difficulties, please contact Manissa Tanhchaleun, manissa.tanhchaleun@atibt.org.