No timber firms 'fully prepared' for ecolabeling<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Only 26 of the 70 forest concessionaires
\nassessed by the Indonesian Ecolabeling Agency since early 1996
\nare considered \"adequately prepared\" to meet ecolabeling
\nrequirements, a senior official said here yesterday.<\/p>\n
Director General of Forest Utilization Harnanto H.
\nMartosiswoyo said at a workshop, however, that none of the 70
\nconcessionaires were categorized as \"fully prepared\" for
\necolabeling.<\/p>\n
He said the number of timber companies considered \"adequately
\nprepared\" had significantly increased from only nine in October,
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
\"We are still working to promote those adequately prepared
\ncompanies to be fully prepared this year. We are also still
\nsupervising the remaining 60 percent so they will be able to be
\ncategorized as adequately prepared this year,\" Harnanto said.<\/p>\n
The 70 concessionaires were assessed as part of a pilot
\nproject on ecolabeling trials conducted by the Indonesian
\nEcolabeling Agency (LEI). Last year's assessment was based on
\nsustainable forest management based on the International Tropical
\nTimber Organization.<\/p>\n
LEI, an independent agency established in 1996, in future
\nassessments will use a new ecolabeling standardization jointly
\nprepared with the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations and the
\nAssociation of Indonesian Concessionaires.<\/p>\n
Previously the three agencies had different ecolabeling
\nstandards.<\/p>\n
Timber companies or concessionaires are required to practice
\nsustainable forest management and to promote the economic and
\nsocial life of people living around their concessions in order to
\nreceive ecolabeling certification.<\/p>\n
According to the International Tropical Timber Organization,
\nwhich groups consumer and supplier countries, ecolabeling will
\nbecome a prerequisite for producers of tropical timber to gain
\naccess to international markets beginning 2000.<\/p>\n
At least 19 countries have used ecolabeling since 1977. These
\ncountries include some members of the European Union, Canada,
\nJapan, Scandinavian countries, the United States, New Zealand,
\nAustralia, India, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Israel.<\/p>\n
Harnanto said the office had encouraged the country's 436
\nforest concessionaires to have their forest management assessed
\nby LEI.<\/p>\n
He said his office had also arranged a number of training
\nprograms and workshops to help forest concessionaires meet the
\necolabeling standards.<\/p>\n
\"We have to continue giving forest concessionaires and
\nforestry officials a sound understanding of the ecolabeling
\nconcept and sustainable forest management so they will be ready
\nto enter the ecolabeling era,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The three-day workshop is jointly held by the Ministry of
\nForestry and Plantations in cooperation with the Swedish
\nInternational Development and Cooperation and Sweden-based Jaakko
\nPyry Consulting AB. The workshop ends tomorrow. (gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-timber-firms-fully-prepared-for-ecolabeling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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