32 | Sector Focus: Tropical Timber
Above left: ATIBT membership represents 550 companies Above right: The certified tropical timber sector is well-positioned to tackle the challenge of EUDR, says ATIBT
◄ “We had discussions with the organisers and the Paris mayor,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. “The ban was a poor decision, potentially undermining trust in sustainable tropical timber.” ATIBT has also been project leader in the development of the Congo basin regional Pan-African Forest Certification (PAFC) scheme. Bringing together the national PAFC bodies of Cameroon, The Republic of Congo and Gabon, it is the first regional certification scheme to be PEFC endorsed. Its backers say it should increase efficiency and cost effectiveness of certification, and by combining their resources help the countries’ certified timber and wood products achieve greater market impact. ATIBT has also supported countries implementing Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements (FLEGT VPAs) with the EU and UK, including in the development of timber legality assurance systems. FLEGT is now being superseded by the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). FLEGT licences are accepted as proof of legality under the EUDR, but no longer grant exemption from further due diligence in the EU. With Ivory Coast in February signing a VPA, however, ATIBT sees the FLEGT programme retaining relevance. “Signing of a VPA continues to have value as it represents real, in-depth work on forest governance on the ground in producer countries,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. Strengthening tropical timber industry training to underpin development of the value-added wood products sector is another ATIBT core activity. It is partnered with the central African training organisation ADEFAC to train the trainers, along with the Central African Network of Forestry
and Environmental Training Institutions (RIFFEAC).
“Without trained personnel, it is difficult to industrialise the sector, and it deters investment if there is no one trained to operate it,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. To support market development of further processed tropical timber products, ATIBT is also involved in the Dryades project. Backed by the forestry and timber companies, Interholco, Pallisco, Precious Woods, and Rougier, it has undertaken life cycle analysis of a range of principal tropical timber products. This is for use by customers to develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and, for the French market, Environmental and Health Declaration documents (FDES). The LCA results are available for download from the F&P website (
www.fair-and-precious.org). Also ongoing is ATIBT’s effort to achieve increased market penetration of lesser-known certified tropical species (LKTS) to reduce supply stress on more popular varieties and make certified sustainable forest management more economically viable. “We are working with FSC Denmark and CIRAD, which has already produced technical data on many LKTS,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. Formalising tropical countries’ domestic
markets is also seen as key in “providing leverage to encourage legality and sustainable management”. “These markets are growing, driven particularly by the emergence of more affluent middle classes. But much of their timber is from what we’d describe as the informal rather than certified sustainable sector,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. “We have two major EU-financed initiatives in this area in Cameroon and the RoC.”
TTJ | November/December 2024 |
www.ttjonline.com
Also on the ATIBT agenda is the EU Deforestation Regulation, which requires businesses to undertake due diligence to ensure timber and wood products placed on the EU market or exported from it are deforestation-free and legal. ATIBT is keeping members informed on its requirements but does not see it as a major threat to them. “The certified tropical timber sector is well-positioned to tackle the challenge,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. “Our operator and importer members have had to adhere to due diligence practices for over a decade under the EU Timber Regulation. Moreover FSC and PEFC/PAFC certifications have rigorous criteria going beyond forestry aspects alone, including workers’ rights, environmental conservation, and biodiversity protection.” ATIBT does acknowledge “certain issues with specific provisions of the EUDR and gaps in implementation” but says it will continue to monitor its progress during the preparatory phase leading up to implementation, now pushed back to December 2025.
“Our annual forum in October in Antwerp also aimed to help members with EUDR implementation,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. Looking forward, with environmental concern driving both growth in the consumption of timber due to its carbon credentials, but also demand for sustainability validation, ATIBT says the significance of its work can only increase. “We want to see more countries adopting sustainable procurement policies in the fight against deforestation and the value of certified sustainable tropical timber gaining recognition in consumer markets internationally,” said Mr Jobbé-Duval. “That includes in producer countries, which are increasingly important consumers.” ■
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