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Report from
Europe
Climate change - mitigation
opportunities presented by
the forest products sector
A coalition of timber industry associations is collectively
hosting the ¡®World of Wood Festival¡¯ from 25 October to
3 December at the Building Centre in London, online, and
virtually. The six-week celebration of global timber and
global forests coincides with COP26 climate talks being
held in Glasgow in the first two weeks of November
which brings together heads of state, climate experts and
campaigners to agree on coordinated action to tackle
climate change.
Designed to inform climate change policy and raise
awareness of the mitigation opportunities presented by the
forest products sector, the World of Wood Festival will
showcase the vital role that forest supply chains have to
incentivise sustainable forest management, increase
carbon sequestration both in forests and products, and
substitute for more carbon-intensive building materials.
Devised and coordinated by the UK Timber Trade
Federation (TTF) and CEI-Bois, representing European
woodworking industries; the team has created an alliance
of over 40 separate associations, organisations, businesses
and campaigns representing global forest growth and
development, engineered mass timber and wood-based
products from Indonesia to Ghana, Australia, North
America and China. This initiative is also supported by
UK Aid, under the UK Foreign, Commonwealth &
Development Office¡¯s FGMC programme (Forest
Governance, Markets and Climate).
Details of World of Wood Festival events, free to participants are
available at:
https://worldofwoodfestival.org/events/
Private sector launch "Governance for Growth" Accord
for tropical timber
Of particular relevance to the tropical timber sector, the
COP26 and World of Wood Festival provides the platform
for launch of the "Global Forests need Global Governance,
A Tropical Timber Accord" signed by forest products
trade and industry associations in Africa, China, Europe,
South America, and Southeast Asia.
The Accord will be officially launched at 13.15pm (UK
Time) on 2 November at COP26 immediately after the
World Leaders Summit when major policy statements on
forests and land use are expected.
Speaking at the official launch of the World of Wood
Festival on 26 October, Dave Hopkins, TTF Chief
Executive provided the background to the Accord,
explaining the core theme "governance for growth".
"We hear a lot about policies to do with carbon markets
and carbon sequestration to keep forest standing and to
bring environmental benefits, but none of them will work
unless you get the governance right", said Mr Hopkins.
The Accord calls, according to Mr Hopkins, for a "strong
legal framework within which people can operate in a
proper manner to maintain forests, manage them for future
prosperity, and for future generations, and in particular, to
stop illegal deforestation".
Mr Hopkins emphasised that "we want to make clear,
through the Accord, that you can help stop illegal
deforestation by rewarding reform within the forests and
within the supply chains that come from them.
"It sends out a very powerful message that this supply
chain, this industry around the world, is grown up enough
to call for strong legal governance, and to call for strict
regulation in the markets and the countries that it operates
in. It's a very unusual thing to see in any industry.
On the specific action that is needed, according to Mr
Hopkins, "we're calling on the leaders at COP26 to really
start to initiate, again, national multi stakeholder processes
throughout the world that can bring together government,
civil society and the private sector that incentivize
effective tropical forest governance and responsible forests
trade by offering support, and particularly investment in
the added value of tropical forest industries.
"We're also calling on international business and consumer
markets to really commit to sourcing tropical forest
products and material only from those legal sources that
can ensure the sustainability of resources into the future.
"And to simplify, and to rationalise and harmonise the
range of product standards, and the communication
messages that are coming out, so that we can see that
people are acting on a level playing field".
Mr Hopkins acknowledged that this is not new,
commenting that there is no intent to reinvent the wheel
but rather to "update the ambition and the policies that are
framed by governments in the International Tropical
Timber Agreement that's been ratified now for several
decades". Also that "those standards and principles in the
FLEGT agreements need to be refreshed and updated,
given a new lease of life and injected with a new wave of
political commitment."
Mr Hopkins suggested that "sporadically governments
have a big burst of energy and then it fizzles out - we want
COP26 to rekindle all of that energy, and to really
revitalise commitment to these processes. And to revisit
the agreements already made to refresh them in light of the
situation they find themselves in now".
Mr Hopkins noted that because of this long history of prior
commitment and engagement "we have the evidence and
we have the basis and the bones for a lot of the policies.
We now want it to be underpinned by practical guidance
informed by best practice and driven by the tropical timber
producing countries themselves".
Mr Hopkins made clear that the Accord is framed to avoid
any imposition of policies by consumer countries on
tropical producing countries which, he said "is not the way
that modern policy should go." Instead the focus is on the
"tropical countries themselves making policies, setting
national standards, owning them, and being proud of
them."
Mr Hopkins closed his opening presentation to the Festival
launch with images contrasting agricultural landscapes
with commercial forestry landscapes and the comment that
"the timber industry as a business model needs a presence
of trees, for all other commodities, the business model
requires an absence of trees".
The Accord itself calls on COP26 leaders to "create a new
international initiative which defines and agrees an
international rules-based approach" driven by the
following six policy points:
Recognise, incentivise, and support strong
governance and sustainable forestry in producer
countries.
Recognise and independently verify each
country¡¯s own nationally determined standards.
Internationally recognise a system of defined
rules-based ¡®legality¡¯ and ¡®sustainability¡¯ which
supports governance and strong global
collaboration.
Encourage consumer market policies and
regulations to promote responsible trade with
countries with strong forest governance and
discourage trade from places which do not
demonstrate this.
Incentivise countries with effective forest
governance with ¡°green lane¡± access to
international markets and trade through
strengthening communications and promotion
throughout the supply chain.
Encourage international investment and support
of micro-SMEs ¨C the backbone of the economy in
most tropical producer countries and industry.
The signatories to the Accord are:
Cameroon - Groupement de la Filiere Bois du
Cameroun (GFBC)
Côte d'Ivoire - Syndicat des Producteurs
Industriels du Bois (SPIB)
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Association
Congolaise des Exploitants Gorestiers Artisanaux
(ACEFA)
Gabon - Union of Forestry and Timber Industries
of Gabon (UNIFA)
Ghana - Forest Industries Association of Ghana
(FIAG)
Guyana - Forest Products Association of Guyana,
Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association
Honduras - Honduran Woodworkers Association
Indonesia - Association of Indonesian Forest
Concession Holders (APHI), Communication
Forum of Forestry Community (FKMPI),
Association of Furniture and Craft Industries
21 ITTO TTM Report: 25:20 16-31 Oct 2021
(ASMINDO), Indonesian Wood Panel
Association
Liberia - Liberia Timber Association (LibTA)
Malaysia - Sarawak Timber Association,
Malaysian Timber Council (MTC)
Republic of the Congo - Union Patronale et
Interprofessionnelle du Congo (UNICONGO),
Association Technique Internationale des Bois
Tropicaux - Congo (ATIBT)
Thailand - BNS Wood Industry Co. Ltd Thailand
Vietnam - VIFOREST
Europe - European Timber Trade Federation, UK
Timber Trade Federation
China - China Timber & Wood Products
Distribution Association (CTWPDA)
ATIBT - Association Technique Internationale
des Bois Tropicaux (International Tropical
Timber Technical Association)
Growing our low carbon future: time for timber
Alongside the Tropical Timber Accord, the World of
Wood Festival also provides the platform for the launch
of the Global COP26 Wood Manifesto entitled "Growing
our low carbon future: time for timber". Paul Brannen,
Director of Public Affairs at CEI-Bois and the European
Organisation of Sawmillers (EOS) introduced this
Manifesto at the Festival launch on 26th October.
Mr Brannen said that the Wood Manifesto was developed
jointly by representatives of forest products associations
from Europe, New Zealand, Australia, the United States
and Canada to influence the politicians and decision
makers attending COP26. It was launched formally on
28th October during a 2-day conference on the built
environment hosted by the Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) in London.
Mr Brannen commented that "our research collectively
shows that knowledge amongst decision makers about the
role that wood can play in helping us to decarbonize the
built environment is, at best, somewhat patchy".
"The first point we want to get across to the politicians",
according to Mr Brennan, "is just how big a contribution
the built environment makes to climate change emissions -
that is around about 40%".
He also observed that "if concrete were a country, it would
be the third largest emitter in the world", the implication
being that "the substitution ability of wood is incredibly
important to convey to politicians".
The Manifesto stresses the carbon sequestration properties
of timber in construction which sets it apart from nearly
other building materials. "While we can store that carbon
in new buildings, we can also store it in renovating and
retrofitting existing buildings", said Mr Brannen.
He noted that as part of the EU's net zero carbon plans the
EU intends, by 2050, to renovate 75% of the built
environment within the EU.
Another point emphasised in the Manifesto is the sheer
range of applications in the construction sector that can be
served by wood. While there is awareness of wood's
suitability for joinery and smaller buildings, there is still
insufficient awareness of the opportunities presented by
engineered wood materials such as CLT, glulam and
laminated veneer lumber to build at height and scale in
high density urban environments.
Mr Brennan concluded with the observation that forest
products offer solutions for carbon mitigation in the built
environment which are "based on existing business models
and existing products: we can do this now and we know
how to do this, we do not need to wait on proven
technology which simultaneously stores carbon and
substitutes fossil fuel resources".
Diplomatic mission calls for lifting of ban on tropical
timber at Paris Olympics site
ATIBT have published a report of the tropical timber
diplomatic mission to Paris, led by the Ministers of
Forestry of Cameroon and Congo as well as by
COMIFAC.
During the week of 4-8 October, the ATIBT accompanied
a delegation of forestry authorities from these two
COMIFAC member countries to make the case for
SOLIDEO - the public body responsible for delivering the
Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure - to
reverse its decision to exclude tropical timber from the
Olympic works and instead promote certified tropical
timber.
Meetings were held at the Paris City Hall and the Ministry
of Europe and Foreign Affairs. At the Paris City Hall, the
two delegations were able to discuss the SOLIDEO
dossier (ban on tropical timber on the Olympic site). The
City Council said that it was not in a position to decide
unilaterally on a change in the specifications for
environmental excellence but did not close the door to a
discussion within the SOLIDEO board of directors.
In their report of the mission, ATIBT observe that the
SOLIDEO policy to exclude tropical timber from Olympic
works contrasts with the French government's "advice and
good practice Guide for public procurement actors". In the
field of timber and timber products, the Guide explicitly
recognises the guarantees provided by the EUTR (timber
origin, due diligence, FLEGT licence) and the certification
systems (FSC and PEFC in particular).
ATIBT's report on the mission is available at:
https://www.atibt.org/en/news/13070/a-look-back-at-the-tropicaltimber-diplomatic-mission-to-paris-led-by-the-ministers-offorestry-of-cameroon-and-congo-as-well-as-by-comifac
Benefits of sustainable forest management in Central
Africa
The City of Paris and the newspaper Le Monde recently
organised a conference on the theme of the preservation of
Central African forests. The Conference brought together
local authorities, representatives of associations,
universities and businesses, as well as experts and other
European and African interests.
The Conference was structured around plenary sessions
and round tables focusing on four issues:
The preservation of the African equatorial forest
and its biodiversity.
The central role of local populations.
The fight against global warming.
The development of new agricultural and food
practices.
According to the ATIBT report of the conference, Lee
White, Gabonese Minister of Water and Forests, clearly
summarised in one sentence the timeliness and
significance of the conference: "If we lose the Congo
Basin, then we lose the battle against climate change.¡±
Furthermore, interventions throughout the Conference,
particularly by representatives of the Congo Basin
countries, highlighted the benefits of sustainable forest
management and certification for the preservation of
ecosystems and economic and social development in the
region.
The presentation by Alain Karsenty of CIRAD
demonstrated that well-managed and controlled logging
contributes to sustainable forest development. And while
certification systems are not perfect, they are constantly
improving.
Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, also of CIRAD, reinforced this
message referencing various scientific studies conducted
in recent years which have shown that well-managed
logging has little impact on forests, and can even serve as
a connecting network between different protected areas.
St¨¦phane Glannaz of Precious Wood used satellite images
to show that while deforestation is present around a
sustainably managed concession, the forest cover is
preserved within the concession.
The newspaper Le Monde has posted on its website links
to the full set of presentations (in French) at:
https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2021/09/23/evenement-participez-a-la-conference-sur-la-preservation-desforets-d-afrique-centrale_6095726_3212.html
Tropical timber sector responds to growing need for
Environmental Product Declarations
The Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition (STTC) reports
that the initial Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data collection
phase of the international Dryades project to develop
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Health
Declaration Sheets (FDESs) for tropical timber is now
complete.
Dryades was launched last year and is a joint initiative of
the ATIBT, its member companies and French timber
trade association Le Commerce du Bois (LCB). Funded by
the PPECF-COMIFAC central Africa forest certification
programme, plus ATIBT members and LCB. The
objective is to strengthen commercial prospects of verified
sustainable tropical timber in an international market
which attaches increasing importance to environmental
performance and validation.
ATIBT Managing Director Benoît Jobb¨¦-Duval said
Dryades was also prompted by increasing governmental
demands for proof of construction products¡¯
environmental impacts. ¡°In the case of France, for
example, when building product marketing includes
environmental performance claims, manufacturers are
required to provide an EPD, which gives the product¡¯s
complete environmental profile, principally based on life
cycle analysis (LCA),¡± said Mr Jobb¨¦-Duval.
The Dryades project is initially focused on Gabon, the
Republic of Congo and Cameroon and the companies
engaged in the first phase are Pallisco, IFO-Interholco,
Precious Woods and ARBOR. Products covered in the
LCI are logs, sawn timber, squares, hydraulic timber and
sleepers, profiles (decking, joists, panelling, mouldings),
veneers and plywood. It also encompasses strip and
plywood siding, solid timber flooring and baseboards.
Technical director of the project is consultancy
ESTEANA, a French-based specialist in life cycle analysis
in timber and sustainable construction. Verification of its
findings will be undertaken by an independent auditor.
¡°Once the results of the LCI are in, the Dryades project
team will define the validity framework of the LCI and
EPD and develop a procedure for project stakeholders,¡±
said ATIBT Project Manager Alessandra Negri.
The Dryades team is also in contact on their potential
involvement with Netherlands timber market development
body Centrum Hout, which has extensive experience in
timber LCA. ESTEANA has started analysis of the LCI
data, with the first outcomes expected October. The
resulting LCA will then undergo critical review.
The data collection phase for the EPDs and FDESs will
start in November, with the first results expected by the
end of April 2022,¡± said Ms Negri. She added that
currently Dryades has a finite objective and end point, in
terms of developing EPDs and FDES for the products
currently under evaluation.
¡°However, given the importance of the project and the
need to update the data ¨C every five years for EPDs ¨C a
follow-up will certainly be envisaged,¡± she said.
Mr Jobb¨¦-Duval said earlier that requirements for product
environmental performance verification are also set to
grow at European level. ¡°As part of the strengthening of
the EU Construction Products Regulation (CPR), the
European Commission has drawn up a draft delegated act
to make environmental declarations compulsory within the
framework of CE European quality assurance marking of
construction products,¡± he said.
FSC and PEFC market share continues to rise in the
Netherlands
According to a report by STTC, latest analysis of Dutch
timber imports reveals a further rise in the proportion
certified ¡®from demonstrably sustainably managed forests¡®
under FSC or PEFC schemes. There has also been an
increase in the volume of FLEGT-licensed timber and
sheet materials imported from Indonesia.
The report, commissioned by the Netherlands Timber
Trade Association (NTTA) undertaken by forest and
timber sustainability advisors and analysts Probos, shows
that in 2020 93.7% of the 2.047 million cubic meters of
timber and panel products imported by NTTA members
(who account for the vast bulk of Dutch imports) was
chain of custody certified. This compared with 91.9% of
the 1.76 million cubic meters imported in 2019.
The proportion of the Netherlands¡¯ 319,000 cubic meters
of hardwood imports certified was 67.2%, up from 62.4%
in 2019. Within that figure, the percentage of the 269,550
cubic meters of tropical imports certified was 65.1%,
compared to 61.6% in 2019, while that of the 49,482 cubic
meters of temperate hardwood imports was 78.6% as
against 67.2%.
The figures show Dutch FLEGT-licensed imports up
substantially; from 26,934 cubic meters in 2019 to 47,944
cubic meters in 2020. This gave them a 17.8% share of
total tropical timber imports. Probos highlighted that a
proportion of FLEGT-licensed imports were also certified.
Looking at other timber product categories, the certified
proportion of the Netherlands¡¯ 1.09 million cubic meters
of softwood imports in 2020 was 98.8%, while for its
616,462 cubic meters sheet materials import total it was
98.2%.
After reporting on sustainable timber sourcing in the
Dutch and Belgian market for 15 years, Probos is now
working on a timber data gathering tool and information
portal to help timber trade federations across Europe to
monitor, benchmark and promote verified sustainable
timber procurement in their countries to support
sustainable forest management in producer countries.
Launched earlier this year, Th¨¦mis is being developed in
association with French trade association Le Commerce du
Bois (LCB), Fedustria of Belgium, the UK Timber Trade
Federation, the International Tropical Timber Technical
Association (ATIBT) and IT company Graphius. Th¨¦mis
is supported by PPECF and IDH, the Sustainable Trade
Initiative.
By tracking sustainable procurement, says Probos, trade
bodies can increase timber trade transparency, monitor
progress and target interventions to grow certified timber
market share. By highlighting the level of wood sourced
sustainably it can also help ¡®positively brand the sector and
timber generally¡¯. The first round of monitoring amongst
members of Fedustria, LCB and ATIBT has taken place.
Major conference on sustainably managed forests as a
solution to climate change
The 2021 European STTC and Fair&Precious (F&P)
Conference will be held on-line between 9am and 12am
(CET) on 18th November on the theme of "Sustainably
managed forests as part of the solution to climate change:
recognising the value of certified forests and ecosystem
services".
Presentations are focused on three issues: forest
certification, particularly recent efforts to evolve a broader
more inclusive "landscape approach" to certification and
the use of tax incentives to encourage update; the
contribution of certified tropical forestry to mitigate
climate change impacts; and on-going lobbying and
marketing activities to improve the image of certified
tropical timber.
The Conference is free of charge and registration and more
details can be found at:
https://www.europeansttc.com/18-november-2021-conferencesustainably-managed-forests-as-part-of-the-solution-to-climatechange/#tab-id-4
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