31.07.2018. Interholco outperformed in SPOTT’s worldwide transparency assessment of timber companies for the second year in a row, with a score of 93.4%.

SPOTT’s assessment shows how companies publicly disclose policies, operations and commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practice.

In 2018, the number of companies under SPOTT’s lens more than doubled, growing from 24 to 50 certified and non-certified companies. After a review process, the number of indicators also increased (up to 110 indicators, based on a company’s scope).

“It is with great joy that we again did well in this assessment. I thank all colleagues in our teams over the world, be it in production, sales, sustainability, logistics, administration or communication. They have done a great job and only together we could reach this very good level of professionalism. Thank you to all of you! Values like impact, responsibility, profitability and professionalism will remain part of our strategy,” says Interholco CEO Ulrich Grauert.

Some key findings for 2018:

- Out of all concerned companies, Interholco alone discloses the total area of intact forest landscape found within its operational area.

- Together with Interholco and out of 50 companies:

12% of companies extend their sustainability policy to third parties;

14% of companies are implementing a landscape approach to biodiversity conservation;

28% of companies provide evidence of undertaking both fire monitoring and management activities;

70% of companies are committed to respect indigenous and local communities’ rights, but just 16%, including Interholco, have a full commitment to obtain free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) prior to all new developments.

In essence, an ESG analysis reveals a company’s worth not in terms of assets and products, but from the point of view of implementation of environmental and social values.

Interholco’s Sustainability Report builds on the culture of transparency that is embedded inside the company, showing how industrial know-how values the forest as part of a broader landscape, really. Interholco’s forest landscape is intertwined with an economic landscape, in which employees receive competitive salaries and benefits; with a social landscape, in which the rights and customary habits/needs of the communities are respected; with a market landscape, in which Interholco’s products are carefully selected, controlled and certified as well as correctly represented; and with a regulatory landscape, in which Interholco does its best to contribute to global goals and standards.

So, why should companies care about ESG?

If the saying ‘what gets measured gets managed’ is true, then an ESG-analysis may also help determine which operations and practices need to be improved. Not to legitimise what a company does, but to directly address the concerns of all parties involved: from employees to the local and international communities whose life depends on the services a natural tropical forest provides (food, water, medicines and economic value, but also social, cultural and religious functions) and regulates (the water regime and climate).

But there is at least another reason why ESG makes business sense.

A growing world population and increasing consumer demand for resources, have turned sustainability into an applied life-style. If a company is to maintain a strong relationship with its consumers, it is key that it understands and responds to the constraints under which consumers will live.

In essence, companies need to increase transparency to cater to future consumer needs across various segments, from the environment at large to personal living space, furniture and commodities, providing adapted solutions.

About SPOTT

Standing for Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit, SPOTT is a commodities monitoring platform led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international charity whose mission is to achieve the worldwide protection of animals and their habitats.

Based on the principle of transparency, SPOTT’s assessment provides a window into how timber and pulp and paper companies based in tropical forests conduct business.

https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp-paper/

About Interholco

Since 1962, INTERHOLCO AG has been serving a discerning international clientele with high-quality African wood: logs, lumber, finger-joint products and more. In addition to three processing sawmills, several kilns, a finger-joint mill and a planing mill, INTERHOLCO AG manages an FSC-certified 1.1 million ha forest concession in the Republic of the Congo, employing about 1’000 staff. Based in Switzerland, INTERHOLCO AG is one of the leading international suppliers of African logs and lumber. 

Communications contact Interholco

Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal

INTERHOLCO AG, Schutzengelstr. 36, 6340 Baar, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (41) 767 03 82 

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