PT Diamond issued with first ecolabelling certificate
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Ecolabelling Foundation (LEI) has given a sustainable forest certificate to Riau-based PT Diamond Raya Timber, the first company to receive an ecolabelling certificate since the certification was first introduced in 1999.
LEI executive director Dradjad Wibowo said here on Tuesday that PT Diamond which, which owns a 90,957-hectare concession area in the province, had fulfilled all criteria for sustainable forest management.
"This first ecolabelling certification has been jointly issued by LEI and the United Kingdom SGS Qualifor accredited by FSC," Dradjad said following the handover ceremony of the certificate.
The government in cooperation with the foundation has prepared for years the issuance of ecolabelling certificates, but most timber companies have been unable to comply with the sustainable forest management standards set under a joint scheme agreed by LEI and world accreditation institution Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Dradjad said at present the ecolabelling agency was finalizing an audit on four forest concessionaires, namely PT Austral Byna in Central Kalimantan with a 294,660-hectare forest concession, PT Intraca Wood in East Kalimantan (250,000 hectares), state- owned PT Inhutani I Labanan Unit in East Kalimantan (83,240 hectares) and PT Erna Djuliawati in Central Kalimantan (184,206 hectares).
He said that other three timber companies had been dropped from the auditing list for their inability to meet certification standards.
"Another one is still in the initial stage of auditing," he said.
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) which groups consumer and producer countries has stipulated that from the year 2001, ecolabelling certification should become a prerequisite for producers of tropical wood to gain access to markets in some countries.
Dradjad said that several major dealers in the United States and Europe had set deadlines after which they would no longer accept timber from uncertified companies.
Some U.S. dealers including Wickes have set the deadline at the end of 2001; Home Depot, Home Base and 84 Lumber at the end of 2002; Menard at the end of 2003, according to data made available to The Jakarta Post.
"Forestry companies must be certified. Otherwise, they will lose their market," Dradjad said.
Dradjad said that for the time being, the LEA ecolabelling certificate was commercially recognized by the UK's largest furniture company, B&Q.
"We are continuing our attempt to get such recognition from other foreign importers," he added.
Dradjad said the forest concessionaires that applied for certification were very few if compared to about 300 existing forest concession holders.
"We hope certification will prompt other forest concession holders to improve their management of sustainable forests," Dradjad remarked. (03)