sustainability

Breakthrough study finds 2.7 times more gorillas in FSC-certified forests including Interholco’s (2/2)

27.09.2024. Meticulously documenting individual animal counts and strategically positioning camera traps, PhD researcher Joeri Zwerts found that FSC-certified concessions have a significantly higher population of large and threatened mammals - 2.7 times more mammals over 100 kg, such as gorillas and forest elephants, and 2.5 times more mammals weighing 30-100 kg, such as leopards and chimps - than non-FSC-certified forest concessions.

Breakthrough study finds 2.7 times more animals in FSC-certified forests including Interholco’s (1/2)

24.09.2024. FSC-certified forests host 2.7 times more gorillas and elephants than non-certified ones. No, it is not wishful thinking, but the outcome of four years of study in the natural tropical forests of Gabon and the Republic of Congo, including in Interholco’s Ngombé forest concession. Comparing animal presence with the aid of harmless camera traps, Joeri Zwerts, PhD researcher at the University of Utrecht, made a discovery that earned him the cover of Nature magazine.

Rendez-wood with enduring sustainability at Carrefour du Bois

Rendez-wood with sustainability and performance at Carrefour du Bois

22.05.2024. Calling out to all wood enthusiasts: from 28 to 30 May 2024, the go-to rendez-wood is at INTERHOLCO's Stand F-25 Hall XXL, during Carrefour International Du Bois.

Our ‘Made in Africa’: sustainability and performance today, tomorrow and always!

‘Friendly fence’ paints the town red: a success story with Tali

18.09.2023. Is the forecast predicting rough weather at your end? Then brace yourself: stark temperature drops, high winds and heavy rain can sometimes cause damage. When a winter storm thrashed his backyard wall in Aarhus, Denmark, eco-techie Kristian Jørgensen knew what to do. He wielded his wood magic on the deteriorated cement.

Opening up the space, living without barriers

09.08.2023. The housing sector is undergoing profound changes: urban concentration, high land prices, climate change... energy renovation is also one of the issues we have to face. The challenge for project managers: to imagine how to expand existing housing without upsetting the codes. Our answer: engineered wood that is certified sustainable (Forest Stewardship Council, FSC® C022952) and technically reliable (CTB-LCA, KOMO).

Unique living spaces with a focus on nature

19.07.2023. Times are changing: building sustainably and responsibly is no longer a desire but a requirement (RE2020). The supply of raw materials is becoming more difficult and costs are rising, all of which is driving the construction industry to design differently.

We have the solution: glulam and finger-jointed timber.

Wood you be my friend? Celebrating International Day of Forests 2023 with Kosipo and Tali

21.03.2023. Rest is an important time to recharge one’s batteries and have a healthy approach to daily work. Sitting by the pool, facing the river Sangha, an ingeniously built hut entices our colleagues in the Republic of Congo to kick back and enjoy their spare time. With long-lasting friends: Kosipo, a magnificent 8 meter long slab of wood hosting lunches and barbecues; and beautifully durable Tali, alternating with Padouk and Wenge, which artfully results in a superb decking.

Panoramic view from Pier 4, Aarhus Ø. Photo ⓒ SmartDrones Aarhus / Flickr

The Danish island that tells its tale with African hardwood

30.01.2023. At first it was just a terrace made from Azobé in front of NAVITAS, but then Azobé ran all around it. The civil engineering institute of Aarhus University resides within NAVITAS, an authentic powerhouse of research, innovation and excellence on the island of Aarhus, Aarhus Ø in Danish.

It’s a Kanda magic – stunning hardwood decking in New Zealand

12.01.2023. Heaven is a place on earth in Langs Beach, New Zealand and the impression will be nothing short of the real thing once you arrive. Nestled on white sands, a brisk hour and a half away from Auckland, this holiday home is the perfect getaway for any length of stay, from a stretched-out day to long weeks.

Sustainable Hardwood Made in Africa, our natural ally in the fight against deforestation

13.12.2022. Last 6 December, the European Union agreed a new law that would ban the import of products linked to deforestation. INTERHOLCO's top priority is to ensure that the harvesting and transport of timber has minimal impact, with no permanent or irreversible change to the services provided by the forest.

African hardwood, 'Fair & Precious' by nature

14.09.2022. With 30 years of experience in the African timber industry, Interholco's Vice President Production and Sales Christophe Janssen has been interviewed by the European Coalition for Sustainable Tropical Timber (STTC). Zoom on Interholco's operations and objectives as a 'Fair&Precious' partner.

INTERHOLCO’s transparent durability ‘Best in the World’ for Timber and Forest Management

01.09.2022. We are honoured to announce that INTERHOLCO's 60 Years Shaping The Future a report which transparently monitors the company’s sustainability monitoring, has been awarded 'Best in the World' by the Hallbars Awards 2022 jury in the category of 'Timber and Forest Management'.

‘Sustainable Hardwood - Made in Africa’ breaks all records at Europe’s leading timber show

14.06.2022. INTERHOLCO’s ‘Made in Africa’ breaks all records at Carrefour du Bois, Europe's number one trade fair for the wood sector. INTERHOLCO has noted an unprecedented attendance rate and a strong increase in the number of foreign visitors, including several from the United States, Africa and Asia.

Anchoring cities to forests

15.03.2022. Urban forests can transform cities into healthier places to live, not ‘just’ thanks to trees, but also through wood products for furniture and construction.

The future grows with wood

17.02.2022. One month into the new year, wood has turned into the cornerstone of future lifestyles. The ‘digital Neanderthal’ humans have as much of a tendency towards cool technology as they have a compelling desire for coziness, warm materials. In short: high-tech, high-touch – and wood is the natural choice.

INTERHOLCO’s Alliance Culture ‘Best in the World’ for Timber

07.10.2021. We are honoured that Interholco's ALLIANCE CULTURE Sustainability Report has been selected as Best in the World for Timber and Forest Management in the framework of the Hallbars Awards 2021, the most prestigious international recognition for sustainability awards.

My human-kind choice: wood!

05.10.2021. FSC^®-certified (Forest Stewardship Council^® C022952) hardwood from Africa delivers so many benefits that it is quite hard to think of a comparably ‘generous’ construction or building material. In several Central African countries, forestry is already the first or second largest employment sector.

My choice for wind design: wood

15.09.2021. A building represents an obstacle to the wind flow. The wind exerts pressures on the building that generate forces perpendicular to the building surface. Therefore, a building must be designed and dimensioned to withstand the strongest winds that are likely to occur during its lifetime at its location.

Certified wood, my sustainable design ally

27.08.2021. Wood is the only building material that ensures it comes from responsibly managed sources, in this case forests.

Supporting customers with trust

26.05.2021. In December 2020, INTERHOLCO passed the FSC® audit, which took place in the field. 'At INTERHOLCO, we strive for honesty, integrity,'says Tom van Loon, Head of Sustainability, INTERHOLCO. 'We place utmost importance on successful long-term partnerships with our suppliers and customers.'

My energy-efficient choice: wood!

02.06.2021. Buildings have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment. During their construction, occupancy, renovation, repurposing, and demolition, buildings use energy, water, and raw materials, generate waste, and emit potentially harmful atmospheric emissions.

My future-proof choice: wood!

18.05.2021. The term ‘future-proofing’ in relation to sustainable design began to be used in 2007. In this context, ‘future-proof’ generally refers to energy conservation; in particular, the ability of a structure or design to minimize the effects of future global temperature rise and/or rising energy costs.

Such is the essence of home, such is the essence of Wengé (Millettia laurentii), a dark, marbled wood that walks you like no other in your stories

Form and function: Wenge (Millettia laurentii)

28.01.2021. Such is the essence of home: a place in which the well-being of bodies is encouraged, food and sleep are taken care of; caresses and laughter instigated; a place in which affection grows deeper. Such is the essence of Wengé (Millettia laurentii), a dark, marbled wood that walks you like no other in your stories of laughter and joy, stillness and meditation, sharing and giving.

Shining a light on wood for all seasons

02.12.2020. During the long, dark, off-season winter months, the lighting of this iconic open-air swimming amenity, designed by White Arkitekter, turns African wood into a dramatic experience. Offered by INTERHOLCO with FSC^® 100% certification, Azobé (Lophira alata) and Tali (Erythrophleum spp.) are as durable as they are water resistant, the ideal choice for projects in direct contact with sea water.

Diverse, interdependent, together: an ALLIANCE to safeguard the future of African natural forests

15.10.2020. To relate to a forest, is to relate to a country and its inhabitants. To the people, with their culture. Their dreams and aspirations, as much as their shortcomings and concerns. Relationships never stop being a work in progress. Dealing with a forest is no exception. We can become more intelligent and wiser, and over time, more fertile, if we work with others to reinvent the way of our future.

Why the United Nations chose Tali (Erythrophleum spp.) for the waterfront of their Copenhagen office

19.08.2020. This summer, if you happen to be around Copenhagen (Denmark), make plans to visit the United Nations City. Here, Tali, an African hardwood known for its durability, which INTERHOLCO offers with FSC^® certification, was chosen for the heavy decking that surrounds the building. With thousands crossing the beautiful waterfront daily, Tali literally paves the way to justice and respect, human rights, environmentally friendly considerations and, peace.

Earth Day: Leave no one behind in the face of COVID-19

22.04.2020. This year, tv channel ARTE celebrates International Earth Day with a new broadcast of 'Congo, Protecting the Gorilla Forests'. Filmed in the North of Congo Brazzaville, partly in the forest which INTERHOLCO manages sustainably, the documentary won Germany's prestigious nature film prize for 2019, the coveted Deutscher NaturfilmPreis.

Join us in the fight against COVID-19!

27.03.2020. With sustainability and growth among its core values, INTERHOLCO is striving to ensure well-being and safety to its employees, in Europe and Africa alike. COVID-19 demands a real ALLIANCE amongst all members of society. We are launching a campaign in five languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Chinese, available on this link: http://bit.ly/IHC-Join-us-against-COVID-19

Sustainable Hardwood to celebrate forests and protect biodiversity

20.03.2020.The United Nations proclaimed 21 March International Day of Forests and this year shines a light on Forests and Biodiversity. INTERHOLCO offers Sustainable Hardwood 'Made in Africa' as a solution to not only promote better living conditions (construction with wood), but also to reduce climate change, increase social justice and keep forests protected from permanent change to agriculture.

Annie Ayoko (left) cheers up a baby to whom she has just subministrated a vaccine. © T. Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal / Interholco. All rights reserved.

The wood that keeps forest children safe

11.02.2020. Forests worldwide are known to be rich in stories, legends and myths; places hosting unusual turns and transformations. As the most densely wooded part of Africa, the Congo Basin forest is definitely no exception. Many of its plants and trees hold cultural and spiritual values.

Securing gorillas in the Congo awarded with Germany’s highest Nature Film Prize

08.10.2019. ‘Paradise Preserved: Congo – Protecting the Gorilla Forests’, the film which Thomas Weidenbach produced for ARTE, received Germany’s Nature Film Prize on Saturday 5 October 2019. Commissioned by tv-channel ARTE, known to air cultural programmes, the film was broadcast at the end of June.

#Sustainable #Hardwood #MadeinAfrica protects the forest

13.05.2019. Forests worldwide are a public good and forestry students often wonder how far private timber companies are prepared to go, to preserve and maintain natural forests. Mr. Ulrich Grauert, INTERHOLCO’s CEO, showed students worldwide how INTERHOLCO walks the talk, during a webinar hosted by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) on 16 April 2019.

Introducing our contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

26.03.2019. Companies do play a critical role in helping achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and INTERHOLCO is no exception. In 2015, the United Nations introduced 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For the first time, governments agreed that the challenges international society faces, including those related to poverty, hunger, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice were interconnected and that each sector had a contribution to make.

On International Forest Day, INTERHOLCO welcomes 2019, International Year of Indigenous Languages

19.03.2019. We are the language we speak. It is through language that we communicate with the world, define who we are, express our history and values; learn, defend our rights and participate in all aspects of society.

Political, financial and economic strategies critical to fight deforestation

04.03.2019. Management of forests – especially natural tropical forests – is environmentally and socially superior, but economically inferior to any other land use which destroys the forest. In a world economy which is measuring viability almost exclusively on return on investment, this economic inferiority of managed forests is the key challenge which must be addressed and reversed.

Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa: the year in advance

17.01.2019. A change of heart is what tropical forests need. That is, if their unique biodiversity is to continue thriving; if precious services such as water cycle, rain regime and climate regulation are to be ensured for the planet and, if millions are to enjoy a peaceful life right where they live, i.e. in the natural forests of the Congo Basin - one of the world’s most precious wonders.

Gorilla-human cohabitation is key on World Gorilla Day

24.09.2018. On 24th September the world celebrates World Gorilla Day. Next time you take one of INTERHOLCO’s wood products, look at it as the result of careful selection and sustainable practices that are key in protecting gorilla in the wild, a glorious species with whom we share 98% of our DNA.

Sustainable Forest Management, the ‘best land-use’ for Congo Basin’s ‘Natural Capital’

27.08.2018. Agriculture, mining and conventional logging stand among the major drivers of deforestation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, State of the World’s Forests 2016). That is because those land-uses are often believed to have more economic allure, compared to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). But is that really so?

Azobé wood by Interholco in Amersfoort (Netherlands)