Indonesia standardizes ecolabeling procedures

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is standardizing ecolabeling procedures and criteria for its timber companies.

The minister of forestry, Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo, said yesterday the standardization of ecolabeling procedures would be completed by April.

The Ministry of Forestry in cooperation with the Indonesian Ecolebelling Agency and the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires were still working on it, he said.

He said the standardization would mainly deal with the internationally accepted methods of assessing sustainable forest management.

"After the national standardization, we will try to establish the standard for ASEAN countries," he said at a workshop on the readiness of concessionaires for ecolabeling and the free trade.

Djamaluddin said Asian and European countries were anticipating Indonesia's proposed ecolabeling standard because was the only country to authorize an independent non-governmental organization to assess concessionaires.

ASEAN groups Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Brunei.

The Indonesian Ecolabeling Agency has recently run ecolabeling trials on tropical wood from 14 forest concessionaires.

Djamaludin said the results showed that none were fully prepared for ecolabeling, and only between three and five were almost ready.

One of the concessions in the East Kalimantan was found to have abandoned its obligation to support its nearby village, although it managed the forest well, he said.

The forestry ministry requires concessionaires to develop their nearby village.

The minister said Indonesian timber companies had no choice but to follow ecolabeling procedures. Otherwise, they would not be able to export their products when ecolabeling becomes an international prerequisite in 2000, he said.

"Although ecolabels are not compulsory for concessionaires, they may not be able to have access to the markets in some countries without the labels," Djamaludin said.

The minister also urged the government to provide incentives to industrial timber estates because less people were becoming interested in the industry.

Timber estates were environmentally friendly because the trees kept growing after harvesting and therefore the estates would pass ecolabeling requirements, he said. (02)