Four firms to issue timber ecolabeling

Four firms to issue timber ecolabeling

JAKARTA (JP): Four standard certification service companies won
the right to issue ecolabeling for timber companies on Monday
from the Indonesian Ecolabeling Foundation (LEI).

The four -- PT TUV International Indonesia (a German joint
venture company), PT SGS International Certification Services
Indonesia (Swiss joint venture), PT Superintending Company of
Indonesia or Sucofindo and PT Mutuagung Lestari -- were selected
from 10 applicants for the right to issue the labels.

LEI executive director Dradjad Wibowo, who made the
announcement, said certification was needed for Indonesian timber
products bound for Europe and United States as of 2002.

"An ecolabeling certification will be given to timber
companies which have met the standards, including conducting
sustainable forest management," Dradjad said.

LEI chairman Emil Salim outlined three criteria timber
companies have to meet to secure the certificates: sustainable
forest management, promote the economic and social life of people
living around their concessions and maintain their productivity.

LEI is working in cooperation with the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), an international organization which gives
accreditation to ecolabeling certification institutions around
the world, in approving the ecolabeling companies.

The accreditation for the four companies would be effective
until 2002, Emil said. "We are going to review it after that."

Mutuagung Lestari, which has issued industrial standard
certification, ISO-14000s, hoped to start issuing certificates as
soon as possible, its president, Arifin Lambaga, said.

Although an ecolabeling certificate would be valid for five
years, it would be reevaluated every semester, Arifin said.

A timber company, he added, would have to spend Rp 250 million
(US$30,000) for every 100 hectares of forest it managed in order
to obtain the ecolabel certificate.

Sucofindo, meanwhile, said it would start issuing ecolabel
certificates in October.

President Didie B. Tedjosumirat said Sucofindo had already
prepared nine professional experts to audit timber companies
which had registered with the company. (02)