01.12.2023. Wood is a crucially important material for ensuring a sustainable future. This is the opinion of 700 key players in the global timber industry, including representatives of governments, companies, international organisations and research bodies, who gathered at the Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF) in Macao SAR, China, on 21–22 November 2023.
Objective: to bring together the key players in the global timber sector and map a course for the sector’s future sustainable development. Interholco was there, represented by its Head of Communications and Marketing, Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal, who was invited to speak during Session 1 focusing on sustainable development and carbon credits.
Jointly convened by ITTO, the Global Green Supply Chain Initiative and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, after two days of extremely interesting presentations and discussions, the Forum issued a set of nine actions to ensure the stability of the timber sector’s future based on legal and sustainable forest management and supply chains. 36 countries were present in the room, from Brazil, the world's leading exporter of tropical wood, to suppliers and professionals from China, the world's leading consumer of wood.
Sheam Satkuru Granzella, ITTO's Executive Director
“Timber is an environmentally-friendly, renewable, carbon-storing, recyclable material and thus a pillar of sustainability when produced, processed, traded and used legally and sustainably,” said ITTO Executive Director Sheam Satkuru during the Forum. “We believe in the benefit of bringing all stakeholders in the sector together because forests and timber are vital for the planet’s future.”
The world is facing many challenges, such as economic volatility stemming from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts, trade wars, rising energy prices, climate change, biodiversity loss and resource pressure.
Her Excellency Ms. Rosalie Matondo, Minister of forest economy, Republic of Congo
But Forum participants agreed that such challenges present opportunities for timber to become a cornerstone of circular bio-economies.
In her keynote speech, Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of the Congo underlined how using forests sustainably allows to conserve forests, paving the way to sustainable development – a win-win for people and planet.
Se Hok Pan, Board Chairman of Nature Home (China) Co., Ltd. & Nature Wood Group Limited
Se Hok Pan, Board Chairman of Nature Home (China) Co., Ltd. & Nature Wood Group Limited, noted that carbon neutrality is a bright spot of the next round of global economic growth.
Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal, Communication et Marketing, Interholco
“The future of forests is the future of mankind,” Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal, invited on behalf of Interholco, reminded participants. A sustainable, resilient and united timber industry, she added, would not only contribute to wealth creation but also support healthy lifestyles and reduce the risk of climate change. The sustainable use of timber can also help safeguard other forest services, such as conserving biodiversity, soil and water, storing carbon, preventing land degradation, and reducing the risk of disasters.
The outputs of a number of major international collaborative research projects were released at the Forum, including the Global Timber Industry Index (currently targeting seven pilot countries, namely Brazil, China, Gabon, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and the Republic of Congo) and Blockchain-Based Timber Traceability System.
Consensus emerged among participants about key strategies to promote the legal and sustainable development of the global timber industry and accelerate its recovery. These include the following nine key actions:
1) Strong networks and partnerships: there is an urgent need for strong networks and partnerships built on mutual respect and trust to support legal and sustainable forest management and timber supply chains.
2) Nature-based solutions: building and improving legal and sustainable timber supply chains should be recognized as key nature-based solutions from local-to-global challenges.
3) Trade promotion: the trade of legal and sustainable timber products should be promoted to facilitate a stable, fair, transparent and predictable environment for the recovery and growth of the global timber industry.
4) Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum: the Forum is a necessary platform for scaling up cooperation and information exchange between the public and private sectors and should be held annually.
5) The Global Timber Index: this initiative, which has been piloted for about a year and was officially launched at the forum, improves the quality and regularity of timber market information, encouraging greater information exchange in the private sector, and enhancing the efficiency of policy formulation. It should be continued and scaled up.
6) Advanced technology and traceability: the use of new technologies, tools and methodologies should be encouraged to help ensure the legitimacy and sustainability of timber resources, including the implementation of sustainable forest management and digital timber traceability.
7) Financial mechanisms: innovative financial mechanisms, such as payments for ecosystem services, should be further developed and used to increase investment in support of sustainable forest management and sustainable supply chains.
8) Timber industrial parks: legal and sustainable timber industrial parks should be established to incubate enterprises as models for the wider industry, thereby accelerating the adoption of best practices and advanced technologies.
9) Support: the global timber industry requires more support for adopting advanced technologies as a means for accelerating its sustainable development.
At its conclusion, the Forum urged participants to continue working together by connecting, cooperating, and sharing knowledge. The GLSTF in Macau laid the foundation for a global network of sharing and engaging that is now set to become a must-attend annual event.
Access photos of the GLSTF here.
Visit the GLSTF website.
Access the Global Timber Index page here
About Interholco
Founded in 1962, INTERHOLCO (IHC) delivers African, European and North American hardwood products (lumber, logs, decking, laminated scantlings) to B2B customers in more than 40 countries worldwide. Recognized as a sustainability leader, IHC responsibly manages 1.16 million hectares of natural rainforest in the Republic of Congo, turning harvested wood into high-value timber products that serve customer needs, as well as improving our climate and increasing social justice. IHC is the first forestry company in the Congo Basin to have acquired FSC Ecosystem Services certification for biodiversity protection on top of FSC Forest management certification (Forest Stewardship Council, FSC® C022952). 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
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