Indonesian Forestry Sector Sets Eight Steps to "World-Class" Production
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All major trade associations representing the forestry sector in Indonesia have together launched a declaration outlining eight practical steps required to be undertaken by industry, stakeholders, and international trade partners to achieve world-class timber production and trade standards through implementation of the Wood Legality and Verification System (SVLK), according to a report by the Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), Jakarta, Indonesia.
The declaration was recently agreed at a formal ceremony in Jakarta during the Second High Level Market Dialogue 2012. The introduction of SVLK in Indonesia will ensure that only wood products verified as legal will enter the market. At the event, the forestry associations pledged to fully support the government of Indonesia's efforts to:
1. Engage with all stakeholders from across the forest industry's multi-layer supply chains to help finalize and implement full SVLK compliance
2. Encourage an examination of the desirability of adopting a phased approach to SVLK implementation across the industry to ensure a successful transition to full compliance of all companies, thereby mitigating possible production, trade, and market disruption
3. Assist small to medium sized companies, companies operating in remote areas, and community based companies to be fully SVLK compliant in line with the government of Indonesia's sustainable forestry development plan
4. Work with foreign countries to build and strengthen an efficient mechanism to promote legal wood products and avoid unnecessary administrative and financial impact on verified legal Indonesian timber and timber-based producers
5. Encourage foreign countries to ensure consistency of policy application, encourage national public procurement policies to prioritize verified legal products, and to support the introduction of the same high standards across the private sector
6. Communicate and promote SVLK to global stakeholders consistently as the highest standard to verify legality and as the foundation for the sustainable forest management certification scheme in Indonesia (PHPL/SFM)
7. Encourage a reciprocal responsibility on the part of VPA partners and also the wider international community to ensure only wood products that are verified as legal enter the market
8. Seek active participation in process to implement the VPA, such as the Indonesia/EU Joint Participatory Committee.
Trade associations present at the signing of the declaration were: GPEI (Indonesian Exporters Association), MPI (Indonesian Forestry Community), APHI (Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires), APKINDO (The Indonesian Wood Panel Association), ISWA (The Indonesia Sawmill & Woodworking Association), APKI (The Indonesian Pulp & Paper Association), and ASMINDO (The Indonesian Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association).
SVLK is Indonesia's chain of custody certification program, enacted in 2009. It ensures that wood products exported from the country are legal and traceable to verified points of origin. SVLK is designed to ensure that the industry will only receive and process timber from legal sources according to the regulations of Indonesia. The regulations cover aspects of licensing, harvesting, transporting, and processing for the industry. SVLK is a key step in the effort to achieve full Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification.
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