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Tropical timber producers around the globe are facing a crisis due to measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19. Direct government action affecting tropical timber production and logistics range from total lockdowns or restricted movement to less stringent approaches. Companies in a number of countries are also suffering from a plunge in international orders.
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The January-March 2020 Briefing Note from the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP/WCMC) reports that the European Commission (EC) has commissioned a Study on Certification and Verification Schemes. This is targeted at CAs and operators, and will have a particular focus on forest and wood-based product certification and verification schemes in the context of EUTR implementation.
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A new study from the Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) concludes that progress has been made towards many FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement targets in three partner countries covered; Ghana, Cameroon and Indonesia. That includes in terms of reducing illegal logging, achieving greater industry transparency and engagement of small to medium sized businesses in the political agenda.
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Report from ITTO Market Information Service (Volume 24 No 6): Economic forecasts issued only a few weeks ago in Europe, which projected continuing slow increase this year in GDP and business activity in sectors critical to the timber industry, such as construction and furniture, will need to be completely revised in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Issues like Brexit, enforcement of EUTR, the slowing pace of manufacturing in Germany, and the US-China trade dispute, that only a few weeks ago seemed likely to lead the narrative of changing demand for tropical wood products in Europe during 2020, have taken a back seat in response to the transformative effects of the pandemic.
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An online information resource, pooling articles, studies and a range of other materials on FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), has been created by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). The open access FLEGT VPA Library targets researchers, government officials, civil society organizations and other actors involved in monitoring FLEGT VPA processes.
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The inclusion of a specific prohibition on buying illegal timber in China’s forest law revision has been greeted as an important advance by government and NGOs. But they also identify potential gaps in its provisions and say more detail on administration and enforcement will be needed before it can be judged whether the amended legislation brings a major new combatant into the battle against the international illegal timber trade.
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The EU Commission is calling for public feedback on EU action to tackle illegal logging. This “fitness check” will, according to the Commission “look at the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value of both regulations in contributing to the fight against illegal logging globally. It will also include the implementing regulations of both instruments as well as the delegated regulation on Monitoring Organisations and will cover all Member States and relevant third countries”.
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Overall the EU’s trade in tropical wood and wood furniture products was more buoyant in the first nine of months of 2019 than the same period in 2018. In terms of US$ value, the biggest gains in the market were made by Indonesian products, particularly wood furniture and doors.
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The Ghanaian timber sector has unveiled a marketing initiative to communicate legality and sustainability assurance advances made under its FLEGT VPA to EU customers, preparatory to Ghana starting FLEGT licensing. The ‘Message House’ has been developed by the Kumasi Wood Cluster (KWC) and Ghana Timber Millers Association (GTMA) with support from government, civil society and the UNFAO EU FLEGT Programme. Its aim, they say, is to highlight the measures and reforms the country has undertaken to meet EU requirements in order to help business capitalise on market opportunities and ensure FLEGT licensing delivers commercially.
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Fort Builders Merchant, a new business just launched by former UK Timber Trade Federation President Keith Fryer, is applying its own ‘Fortified’ eco-label to FLEGT-licensed and FSC and PEFC-certified timber without differentiation. The aim is to simplify and cut the cost of legality and sustainability assurance. IMM interviewed Mr Fryer on the company’s innovative move.
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As the title Reducing risk, improving supply suggests, the UK Timber Trade Federation’s recent Tropical Timber Forum had a dual focus. Ensuring tropical timber legality and sustainability was recognised as core to success in the modern marketplace. But the emphasis was also on the interaction of this and the broader commercial viability of the sector and how it needs to adapt ensure availability and remain competitive.
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If steel and concrete road fixtures and fittings, including lamp and signposts, crash and acoustic barriers were made of wood, and hardwood in particular, it would add up to major timber demand and major CO2 savings. That’s the blueprint the Dutch Ministry of Logistics and Waterways has devised, following stakeholder discussions, among others, with Netherlands timber sector market development organisation, Centrum Hout. It’s done the carbon calculations, called the concept the ‘circular bio-based highway’ and Steffen Meinhardt of Dutch importer Hupkes Houthandel presented on it at the 2019 International Hardwood Conference in Berlin.