Still much to do in STTC mission, says IDH

Nienke Stam (IDH)

The Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition is now a European brand, says Netherlands-based IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, which, as STTC founder and main donor, also took over the implementing partner role from the European Timber Trade Federation in March.  And, since its launch in 2013, IDH maintains the Coalition has made significant progress towards its goal of growing the European market for verified sustainable tropical timber.

“The STTC has grown into a European brand and platform and is now supporting 20 Action and Policy Plans at companies and organisations across Europe, aimed at mobilising verified sustainable tropical timber demand,” said IDH Senior Programme Manager Nienke Stam. “All partners currently implementing Action Plans and Policy plans have been informed about the structural change, which should ease their reporting requirements, and IDH looks forward to seeing the early results of their efforts.”

Underlining the market reach of the STTC a number of Action Plans  focused on working with architects, other specifiers and construction companies to encourage their use of sustainable tropical timber. New coalitions of companies working together have also emerged, such as the lesser known timber species (LKTS)  network in Denmark.

“One project I particularly look forward to experiencing during the STTC Conference in Aarhus, Denmark, this September is the Kulbroen bridge, a prestigious installation undertaken by the Danish LKTS consortium to demonstrate the performance of tropical timber generally and these species especially.”

While the STTC has made significant progress, IDH sees more to be done in its mission to grow awareness of verified sustainable tropical timber, and, of course, to drive sales in the marketplace.

“The STTC initiative has done much to mobilize public and private sector commitments to sustainable sourcing of tropical wood, and partners are now working hard to implement their Action Plans, but there is still a lot that can be improved,” said Ms Stam. “As the construction sector is now recovering in many parts of Europe,  demand for tropical timber is rising again and, in our view, three developments the STTC has helped kick-start will continue to be needed; ambition in the sector to collaborate on and promote use of verified sustainable tropical timber; improved data on market uptake of the material, and a greater sharing of information and  technical research on tropical timber between European STTC partners. One STTC initiative I like in the context of the latter is the ATIBT Action Plan to launch the first European online tropical timber landing page, bringing together data and reports from all participating Timber Trade Federations and their members and partners.”

The STTC Action Plans IDH has contracted will be implemented through 2017/18. Coalition funding beyond this has yet to be decided and will be a topic of discussion at the STTC Conference.

“Any STTC partner or organization interested in exchange on this is welcome to reach out to us,” said Ms Stam.

Dutch cities share procurement practice with Berlin

After joining the Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition last year, Berlin has undertaken a fact-finding mission to Dutch cities to exchange timber procurement and application experiences and ideas.

In signing up to the STTC, Berlin undertook to stimulate procurement of certified sustainably sourced tropical timber in the city and to broaden its application.

Thomas Schwilling, of the city’s development and environment administration, said the move also tied in with its Nachhaltiges Bauen initiative to increase use of sustainable, high life cycle analysis performance materials in public construction. “Where we see a potential application for certified sustainable tropical timber we will advocate its use,” he said. “In fact, we aim to increase the use of timber overall, as it’s such a sustainable raw material.”

Together with a colleague, Mr Schwilling undertook the Netherlands mission ‘in the framework of its STTC commitment’. They visited Rotterdam, which joined the Coalition at the STTC annual conference in the city last summer, The Hague and the Dutch ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, which is responsible for Dutch Procurement Policy, including for timber.

“An integral concept of the STTC is that members share best practice, so we are not continually reinventing the wheel in terms of procurement and end-use,” said Mark van Benthem of Probos who organised the visit. “This initiative illustrates that.”

On the trip, the delegation talked to city authority and trade representatives, with Rotterdam meetings held at the site of tropical importer GWW Houtimport.

Topics discussed included how chain of custody certification is promoted among timber processors and their customers, including construction companies. Mr Schwilling also looked at how authorities address use of timber in contracts and ensure their criteria are met.

In Rotterdam, they discussed the city’s policy of procuring its own timber for distribution to public projects contractors, with GWW the current nominated supplier. This was described as a best practice, particularly in countries with limited chain of custody certification reach through the supply chain.

The STTC’s hope is that all cities in the Coalition will welcome fact-finding visits from others. “It would be great if urban local authorities ultimately established their own exchange and communication network to pass on experience and expertise within the STTC community,” said Mr van Benthem. “Berlin, for instance, now represents best practice in Germany.”

Other local authority STTC members include Madrid, Barcelona, Leeuwarden, Amsterdam, Reseau Grand Ouest, Cognac and Malmö.

New website to boost tropical timber market knowledge and application

The ATIBT (International Tropical Timber Technical Association) is building a one-stop website giving performance and other use and specification data for tropical timber species.

The organisation, which has won support for the initiative as STTC Project, says the goal is to make it easier for the trade to sell tropical hardwood, and for end users and specifiers  to select the right material for the job. The aim is also to broaden application of tropical wood by increasing market confidence in using it in more areas and more ambitious projects.

The present lack of such a site, said ATIBT in its STTC proposal, risks misapplication of tropical material and damage to its reputation.

‘With no centralised information base, each timber trader and processor provides their own marketing message, with the result that sales staff and customers may be misled,” said ATIBT Managing Director Benoît Jobbé-Duval. “This can lead to misspecification, resulting in timber staining and failure and customers subsequently choosing other materials.”

ATIBT has asked national European trade federations to back the site, to support translation and provide  ‘catalogues’ of popular species in their market. Most have agreed.

The site is modelled on www.boistropicaux.org, which is operated by French trade association Le Commerce du Bois.
“It will also be further adjusted to each national context, taking into account specific technical standards, and listing distributors,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval.

The site will incorporate pictures of species and applications, underpinned with technical specification data from the Tropix database of French-based agricultural research organisation CIRAD.

The new facility will also provide links to complementary online sources, including the joint ETTF/ATIBT www.timbertradeportal.com legality assurance and business link website and species specification guide www.houtdatabase.nl.

“Our objectives are also to strengthen ATIBT’s working relationships with other European associations, and to communicate our role in areas such as promoting use of legal and sustainable tropical timber and encouraging application of lesser  known species,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval.

The new site should be complete, ready for adaptation by national federations, by July.

IMM relaunched to monitor FLEGT VPA impacts

IMM

The Independent Market Monitoring programme (IMM) has been relaunched and expanded to track market impacts of EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements (FLEGT VPAs) with supplier countries.

The IMM is supervised by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) and funded by the EU.  Its role is to support implementation of VPAs, which commit signatory supplier countries to adopt third party verified timber legality assurance systems. When these are established to the satisfaction of EU and supplier country authorities, the latter can issue FLEGT licences for exports, which exempt them from further due diligence under the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). So far, all VPA countries are tropical.

IMM Lead Consultant Sarah Storck and Market and Technical Analyst Rupert Oliver have established a European network of consultants who will liaise with the timber sector on the trade flow effects and EU market perceptions of VPAs and FLEGT licensing.  The seven countries where the consultants are based, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, represent 90% of EU tropical timber imports.

A consultant has also been appointed in Indonesia, which, late last year, was the first country to start FLEGT licensing.

First IMM outputs will include a Baseline Report, analysing VPA partner country timber production from 2004-2014, plus VPA partner trade flows to the EU and elsewhere during the period. This will also draw on initial market scoping studies covering Germany, Spain, the UK and VPA partner country Ghana undertaken in 2015/16. All IMM-related reports and data are currently available on the ITTO website.

An IMM website and newsletters are also under development.

PEFC and Myanmar work on sustainable forest management

PEFC International has announced a joint initiative with the Myanmar Forest Certification Committee (MFCC) to work on sustainable forest management in the country.

“The project will run for three years and is committed to supporting the ongoing reform process in Myanmar’s forest sector with a clear focus on strengthening the national forest certification system,” said PEFC head of projects and development Sarah Price.

Co-funded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the project is entitled   ‘Working in Partnership to bring sustainable management to Myanmar’s forests’.

According to Ms Price, it will support collaboration among stakeholder partners to develop test tools that aid legal, sustainable and transparent forest product trade.

“Through building capacity and illustrating best practice we hope it can deliver tangible, small-scale impact in the short- term, but also influence the longer-term reform process,” she said.

The initiative, she added, will also increase coordination between existing donor-funded and private sector sustainability projects.

Those interested in participating in the project’s proposed certification pilot projects, or joining its ‘knowledge platform’ are invited to contact Ms Price at sarah.price@pefc.org.

FSC España lanza una encuesta entre profesionales para promover el uso de la madera en la construcción

NOTA DE PRENSA

FSC España, la ONG que vela por la gestión forestal sostenible del planeta, acaba de lanzar una encuesta que persigue promover el uso de la madera en la construcción. Lo hace a través de su proyecto HAVE A WOOD DAY. Una iniciativa pionera en España que pretende dar valor a la madera como material bello, natural y ecológico siempre que proceda de fuentes sostenibles, e impulsar su utilización en construcciones y rehabilitaciones, tanto públicas como privadas.

A esta iniciativa se han sumado ya estudios de arquitectura como César Ruiz Larrea o Nova Domus Hábitat, asociaciones como ASMADERA, ANFTA o AEIM, organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro como el GBC España, y empresas como Sonae Arauco, FINSA, Stora Enso, Ferrovial o Mateca.

El programa cuenta con la cofinanciación de la STTC (Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition), coalición público-privada constituida en los Países Bajos a través de IDH Tropical Timber para promover el uso de las maderas tropicales en los proyectos constructivos, y que a su vez se financia con dinero de agencias gubernamentales de países como Suiza.

El sondeo de investigación de mercado de FSC va dirigido a arquitectos o ingenieros, tanto los que trabajen como profesionales libres como si lo hacen en oficinas técnicas o departamentos de diseño o en el área de compras de proyectos de edificación de obra nueva y/o rehabilitación. El objetivo final es obtener datos directos en relación al uso de la madera y sus derivados en el ámbito de los proyectos constructivos. Gracias a ella será posible contar con un diagnóstico real acerca de su uso, base para poder implementar acciones futuras relacionadas con su promoción y puesta en valor.

A pesar de que la madera tiene excelentes propiedades para su uso constructivo, muy valoradas en toda Europa, todavía se emplea poco en España. Si ésta procede de bosques bien gestionados, como son los que certifica FSC gracias a su exigente sistema internacional, se ayuda directamente en la conservación y mejora de las masas forestales.

La encuesta es el primer paso de una serie de acciones que incluirán el desarrollo de diversos materiales técnicos, como la publicación de un manual dirigido a los arquitectos y técnicos de obra y de una guía divulgativa dirigida a actores involucrados en el sector de la edificación. Con todo ello se pretende desmitificar algunas leyendas asociadas al uso de la madera, que en muchos casos disuaden a los prescriptores de incluirla en sus proyectos.

En este enlace es posible acceder a la encuesta: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/madera_construccion

FSC España (es.fsc.org/es-es) es la organización internacional que ha certificado más de 196 millones de hectáreas de bosques en 82 países, a partir de un modelo de gestión forestal ambientalmente responsable, socialmente beneficioso y económicamente viable. En nuestro país cuenta con 150 socios que representan los intereses ambientales, sociales y económi-cos. En España hay 251.238 hectáreas de bosque certificado FSC y 842 certificados de cadena de custodia.

FSC® España. · es.fsc.org · FSC® F000228
Calle Alcalá 20 pl 2ª Oficina 202 · 28014 Madrid · España
T +34 91 446 48 81 · F +34 91 447 55 58
Registro Nacional de Asociaciones – Nº 167690

IDH seeks Coordinator for the European Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition

Background and Terms of Reference
IDH convenes companies, CSOs, governments and others in public-private partnerships. Together we drive the joint design, co-funding and prototyping of new economically viable approaches to realize green & inclusive growth at scale in commodity sectors and sourcing Our approaches are designed to drive sustainability from niche to norm in mainstream markets, delivering impact on Sustainable Development Goals. We focus on creating positive impact on deforestation, living incomes and living wages, working conditions, toxic loading and gender.

IDH is supported by multiple European governments, including our institutional donors: BUZA, SECO and DANIDA and we work together with over 500 companies, CSOs, financial institutions, producer organizations and governments in 11 sectors and 11 landscapes in over 50 countries worldwide.

The IDH Tropical Timber program promotes the use of sustainable tropical timber. The objective for the 2016-2020 period is to support certification of tropical forest – with FSC, PEFC or other credible standards – spread over strategic locations around the world. These locations will in some cases overlap with landscapes in which IDH works on preventing deforestation. In these landscapes, the timber program also aims to work on broader issues to support sustainable forest management and prevent deforestation, for example by working with national timber federations, large companies using local timber or alternative livelihood strategies.

On the demand side, The European Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition (STTC) is an alliance of industry, business, government and NGOs dedicated to increasing European demand for sustainably sourced tropical timber. The STTC’s aim is to develop the market in order to incentivise the growth and spread of responsible forest management in tropical countries. The initial 2020 target is to increase European sustainably sourced tropical timber sales to 50% above 2013 levels. A key part of the strategy was an ETTF-administered programme for funding projects that contribute to this goal, including sustainable procurement action plans in the EU trade and local government.

Assignment
To support the IDH timber team on moving the European Outreach work on tropical timber and pulp & paper forward, IDH is seeking the support of a consultant with a background in these sectors. An extensive knowledge is required of (tropical) timber itself, legislation, the sectors, stakeholders and international trade. We seek a consultant who is both strategic and innovative, well organized and feels comfortable with the administration of various projects.
The consultant will be working at IDH’s office for two days a week until April 30, 2018, for a maximum of 100 days. The initial contract will be for a period of 3 months, with extension in case of mutual satisfaction. Start date: as soon as possible.

Initial deliverables

  1. A report with recent market data on tropical timber and pulp & paper, and a resulting analysis on potential future market scope for both programs. The data can be collected from various sources, such as ITTO or Probos reports, so no own research is required. It should compare current information to information from before the financial crisis, which especially lead to a large decrease in the demand of (tropical) timber.
  2. An analysis with recommendations based on scoping for a future European timber and pulp & paper covenant, answering questions such as: what is the appetite from stakeholders for such a covenant? What are factors to keep into account? Which stakeholders would be interested, and why, and what can they commit to? The report should specifically describe what EU governments can commit too, seen in the light of European legislation.
  3. After the analysis, support the team to implement a covenant.
  4. Organize two learnings events for the European timber trade federations, in close cooperation with the European Timber Trade Federation.
  5. A final narrative and financial report on all the projects delivered before April 2018.

Tasks

  1. Administration of current contracts. The Consultant will be the contact point for all partners and manage the progress & annual report process. Progress reports are due by September; the annual report must be finalized by April.
  2. Support Probos in the organization of the annual European STTC event, and with any requests concerning communication.

In all of the activities, it is essential to maintain the link with our landscape programs.

Application process

Please send the following to sleurink@idhtrade.org before February 26, 2017.

  1. Curriculum vitae / organisational experience
  2. Motivation letter, including an explanation of the synergies between this assignment and others
  3. A one-pager in which you share your vision on how the STTC and IDH can (better) contribute to increasing demand for verified sustainable tropical timber and pulp and paper on the European market
  4. Proposed budget/ daily rate

Companies are equally eligible to express interest.
Please include the above and a company track record in your application.

After selection based on the above, an interview will be planned.

Peter Latham takes top PEFC International role

STTC participant Peter Latham has been elected chairman of PEFC International at its 21st General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia.

Mr Latham, chairman of UK importer and distributor James Latham PLC, thanked his supporters in the election and said he was looking forward to his new role, but added that, for all its progress and growth, PEFC still had work ahead to increase timber and forestry sustainability certification globally.

“While we’ve been through a successful period as an organization, with significant growth in certified forest area, the number of new members and acceptance in public procurement schemes, we still face important challenges, and we need to face them together,” he said.

PEFC chief executive Ben Gunneberg said he was looking forward to working with Mr Latham.

“He brings with him great experience,” he said. “Not only has he been on the PEFC board since 2011, he was also the chairman of PEFC UK and heads one of Britain’s oldest and most respected timber trading companies. His knowledge and expertise will be invaluable to our organization as it moves forward towards the PEFC vision of a world where people manage forests sustainably.”

FLEGT-licensed first receivers stress sustainability goals

Three leading EU importers see the imminent arrival of the first legally-assured-at-source FLEGT-licensed timber and wood products as a significant step forward for the European trade and its suppliers.

However STTC participant James Latham of the UK, Fepco of Belgium and STTC participant Dekker Hout of the Netherlands, all among first receivers of FLEGT-licensed products, also stress a continuing over-riding commitment to sustainably sourced timber.

Lathams Ltd is awaiting receipt of licensed door blanks from PT Kutai Timber Indonesia, sourced via UK agent Pacific Rim Wood.

“To get tropical hardwood supplier like Indonesia, whose [legality] reputation was tarnished many years ago, to achieve FLEGT is huge,” said Managing Director and Chairman Chris Sutton. “Tropical illegal logging has been the bête noir of our industry. This step change will give buyers and customers real assurance.”

Pan-European plywood specialist FEPCO, which is expecting its first FLEGT-licensed product from Kayu Lapis Indonesia, takes an equally positive view.

“We see FLEGT licensing as the best proof of legality we can have and a means of convincing buyers who were reluctant in the past [to purchase Indonesian wood products],” said Managing Director Alexander de Groot. “It will improve our image and that of the trade, and, in giving EUTR exemption, will save a lot of time on due diligence.”

Solid timber, wood products and sheet material supplier Dekker Hout, which is getting its first licensed product from Kayu Lapis and Intracawood, describes Indonesia’s implementation of FLEGT as a “great achievement”.

“It should help increase Indonesia’s EU trade and it’s a source of pride for them, which is positive and justifiable,” said Mr Dekker. “We should now incentivise FLEGT licensed demand by ensuring EUTR is rigorously enforced and not a paper tiger.”

At the same time, Chris Sutton emphasised that sustainability is Latham’s ultimate objective. “FLEGT-licensed timber strengthens our environmental policy further, but we also continue to make positive steps to only stocking material from correctly managed, sustainable forests,” he said. “All our ten UK depots are FSC and PEFC certified and we signed the declaration of support for WWF’s 2020 Forest Campaign.”

FSC-certified FEPCO feels FLEGT licensing also underlines supplier commitment to many sustainability criteria.
“The FLEGT legality definition ensures that forest law requirements are applicable, consistent, understandable and enforceable – and also reflects  supplier countries’ social, economic and environmental objectives,” said Mr de Groot.

Sustainability is the primary aim of Dekker Hout too.
“While FLEGT-licensing is significant, we must avoid traders settling only for legality assurance,” said Mr Dekker. “Sustainability remains our principal purchasing criteria. In fact our first FLEGT-licensed cargo is also 100% FSC-certified.”

Newly certified Guyana greenheart heads for UK

The UK sales and distribution division of Dutch STTC member Wijma hopes to deliver the first greenheart to its customers from the newly FSC-certified Iwokrama forest in Guyana early in 2017.

The 3,710 km2 forest, which is in the forest-rich Guiana Shield region and managed by the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, was audited by the Soil Association, with backing from STTC founder and supporter IDH, the sustainable trade initiative. Following pre-assessment last May, the FSC certificate was awarded on October 14.

Half the forest will be kept as ‘wilderness reserve’ and half ‘sustainable use forest’, with a harvest cycle based on natural regeneration, allowing removal of 10 trees per hectare and stipulating reduced impact logging.

Greenheart is widely used in the UK and across the rest of Europe in marine applications.  But in the former, where it is especially popular for sea-defences, the Environment Agency [EA] issued a procurement ban in 2015 after assessing that proof of sustainable sourcing was inadequate.

“The EA have now removed the outright ban on greenheart after we advised them of the FSC certification awarded to Iwokrama,” said Damian Cole of Wijma UK. “They will accept Category A FSC 100% Greenheart from Iwokrama, but at the same time say that Category B timber from Guyana [which is material under UK rules backed by other forms of sustainable sourcing documentation] does not meet their requirements.”

Wijma UK will be among the first suppliers to put the certified greenheart on the market and the customer for its initial shipment will be the EA itself, which undertakes timber procurement for public projects.  The timber is for sea defences at Dawlish Warren on the south coast.

A range of other species is available from the Iwokrama forest, including purpleheart. Whether the UK EA will specify these too remains to be seen, but it has a programme to evaluate and increase use of lesser known tropical timber species.