More FSC certification success in Indonesia
Perum Pherutani is awarded an FSC certificate for the Ciamis district.
TFT has supported state-owned Indonesian forestry company Perum Perhutani to achieve its third Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of 2012, and its fifth in the past eight months. The Ciamis district in Java, which comprises 30,101 hectares of plantation forest rich in teak, was certified on 28 May 2012.
Perum Perhutani is the world’s largest teak producer. Europe is one of the biggest markets for teak, where it is mainly sold as garden furniture because its natural oils make it particularly resistant to weather conditions.
Teak’s popularity means that its sourcing sometimes comes at a high social and environmental cost, causing deforestation and the displacement of forest communities. Perhutani and TFT’s members, many of them European and US furniture and homeware retailers who buy teak and other timber products for their stores, are committed to addressing these impacts.
The support and investment of TFT’s members has made it possible for TFT staff to provide practical, on-the-ground expertise in countries such as Indonesia to help organisations like Perhutani mange their forests responsibly.
Our members work with TFT because they are committed to creating transparent supply chains and changing their products for good. Thanks to members’ support, TFT and Perhutani are making great progress.
A key example of this is the successful completion of the TFT-instigated ‘drop the guns’ programme in November 2011, which put an end to armed patrolling of all Perhutani forest districts. The laying down of weapons was an integral feature of a TFT-led programme designed to generate respect for the rights of local communities while also combating illegal logging. This proved instrumental in the helping Pherutani secure certification.
Ciamis’ FSC certification follows those awarded to Perhutani’s other districts: Kendal and Kebonharjo (in November 2011), and Randublatang and Cepu (in March 2012). This means more than 133,000 hectares of Perhutani forest are now FSC certified, providing TFT members and wood buyers around the world with confidence that they are sourcing products from responsibly managed forests.
For TFT members, FSC certification is a major milestone on the journey towards supply chain transformation. It provides a clear indication that the forests they procure timber from are being responsibly managed and that they are committed to a path of continuous improvement.
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