Eco-labeling criteria setting complicated
Eco-labeling criteria setting complicated
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Eco-labeling Agency finds it
complicated to set workable criteria for forest management but
vowed yesterday it would never bow to foreign pressure.
The chairman of the agency's working group, Emil Salim, said
experts were racing against time to establish the criteria that
would be tested on three forest concessionaires next year.
"It is theoretically not that difficult to set the criteria,
but in practice it is complicated," Emil told reporters after
discussing the issue with the House of Representatives (DPR)
Commission X overseeing environmental affairs.
He said the criteria on forest management should be consistent
with the international standard, known as the ISO (International
Standard Organization) 1400, which includes environmental
considerations.
ISO 1400 surpasses ISO 9000 on product quality.
The general guidelines on forest management are issued by the
International Tropical Timber Organization and the Forest
Stewardship Council. The United Nations Commission on Trade and
Development also has issued guidelines on eco-labeling for
various products, such as leather and shoes, textiles and
garments, pulp and paper, as well as wood and wood products.
Emil said that the working group also cooperated with foreign
experts to learn about the criteria of forest management in other
countries.
Emil stressed that this cooperation did not mean that
Indonesia would literally follow anything the foreigners said.
"We have been taking an active part in the drafting of the
criteria, which are beneficial for the environment and
development," he said.
Emil dismissed the fears that Indonesia will not be able to
compete with other countries due to high economic costs as a
result of the implementation of the eco-labeling system.
The consumers will not merely view the prices and the quality,
but the life cycle of the products as well, he said.
The working group was established early this year on the
initiative of Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo.
The agency itself will be dedicated next year and will go into
full-fledged operation in 2000.
The former state minister of environment and population, Emil
Salim, assured that the agency would be independent, free from
the influence of the government and businesses.
Working group
He said that the working group comprises bright, young
scientists and activists, including people from the University of
Indonesian, the Institute of Agriculture and the Indonesian
Consumers' Protection Agency.
Emil said that the State Minister for Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja had also asked the working group to study the
possibilities of eco-labeling for non-forestry products.
"Along with the consumers' agency and involved government
offices, we are working on the criteria for the eco-labeling
system for non-forestry products," he said.
Emil also said that the working group is compiling guidelines
for the assessment of forest management. He expects them to be
finished soon.
There are at least two companies interested in the new
business: Surveyor Indonesia, and an American firm, Smart Wood,
Emil said .
Emil plans ask President Soeharto to grant permanent
reforestation funds to finance the eco-labeling agency. Asked
about the total budget needed, Emil said it was still being
calculated.
At present, the working group obtains money from reforestation
funds on a non-permanent basis and from the World Bank.
The reforestation funds currently total around Rp 600 billion
(US$277 million). (sim)