28.08.2024. The future we want has wood at its core and forests stand at the centre. Our no. 1 ranking in the only ESG transparency assessment for tropical timber and pulp companies is tell-tale: https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/ Because we care, ‘Sustainable’ rhymes with ‘Accountable’. Follow us through!
Committed to the highest standards, we build bridges with sensational stakeholders. Together, we co-create solutions, joining inhouse innovation with external expectations and, expertise.
Little research exists on the adoption of technological innovation in the Global South.
Led by conservation NGO ZSL (Zoological Society of London) with UK and Norwegian funding, the SPOTT assessment bridges the gap, focusing on more than 180 indicators and online sources, spanning environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
If online tools could translate from ESG to English, this is how Interholco’s 97% ranking would read:
There is more to Interholco’s industrial site in the Republic of Congo than responsible wood harvesting and processing. Some pretty important technological advances took place, thanks to the hard work of the teams. ‘Technology’ stemming from enhancing wood products but also, elevating their processes.
The teams receive a living wage – irrespective of where they are based. In Brazzaville as in Brussels, employees are covered by insurance policies, paid sick, summer and maternity leave. Wherever possible and appropriate to employees' needs, workers enjoy flexible hour arrangements, as single parents whose kids must go to school. Talking about school, the 1,300 children studying in the public school of Ngombé, 900 km away from the capital Brazzaville, have access to the same exact books as in the capital’s costly private schools. In 2023, Interholco’s library received a donation allowing this and more: 12 brand-new laptops open free IT courses to groups of children or adults.
Ngombé is also the 1,16 million hectare forest where workers have been trained to apply environmental safeguards. Road width and length must be kept within a certain range to minimize impact so that it is only temporary in space and time. Indigenous populations have a right to a voice in sustainable forest management: their identity and way of life are marked by numerous ancestral and religious sites that are registered and protected. Forest stewardship is shared with Indigenous Peoples, whose decision-making power over the ancestral forests that define who they are and what they live from, is acknowledged and recorded. Including when dissatisfaction arises and personal needs are channeled to the management via formal mechanisms, so that expectations can be measured, given deadlines and be met.
Congo is still one of the few countries with the lowest deforestation rates – let us not miss the forest for the trees. No ‘one size fits all’ SFM label exists, natural tropical forests are no exception. Interholco’s teams work hard to stand up to zero deforestation and carbon emissions reduction expectations. Which allows the company to now hold double FSC (Forest Management and Ecosystem Services) and PAFC certification.
As to governance, Interholco is in team Congo. The company has put in place internal processes to transparently provide data to external auditors, who verify the volume of products and amount of taxes paid to government. This is all recorded, for all to see, in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Congo report.
Technology at Interholco is not exactly plugging in new devices – it is about opening opportunity.
So… you think this makes Ngombé more than just a village with 11,500 inhabitants?
If the local, regional and international NGOs – to name a few: the Congolese human rights watch CDHD (Cercle des droits de l’homme et de développement) and international wildlife conservation WWF – help us implement and monitor projects, this truly makes Ngombé a platform for stakeholder engagement, collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
For Interholco, the future starts in Ngombé.
Check out the SPOTT assessment: https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/
About SPOTT
Led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international charity whose mission is to achieve the worldwide protection of animals and their habitats, SPOTT stands for Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit. For the fourth year in a row since 2017, SPOTT assessed tropical forestry companies, without distinguishing between the timber and pulp and paper sector. In 2020, the number of indicators grew to 175 sector-specific indicators to benchmark their progress over time.
About Interholco
The valorisation of a natural forest of 1.16 million hectares in the Republic of Congo Brazzaville is our DNA here at INTERHOLCO. As an FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®, FSC® C022952) and PEFC and PAFC certified producer, INTERHOLCO is a well-established player in the trade of its edged boules, sawn timber, glue laminated scantlings, decking boards and more.
We are a leading provider of high-quality wood products ‘Made in Africa’ holding a verified environmental and health performance statement (FDES requirement in France). Our teams carefully manage the supply chain from forest to customer. Our story is fully illustrated by enabling the people living in Ngombe to access better life conditions. We make it possible to design and build a healthy living environment with bio-based, eco-friendly materials, one of the real solutions for the planet and climate. Follow us on LinkedIn
Communication contact Interholco
Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal
INTERHOLCO AG, Neuhofstr. 25, 6340 Baar, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (0)41 767 03 82
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
