Timber firms to take ecolabeling trial

JAKARTA (JP): At least 22 timber companies have been offered the opportunity to undergo ecolabeling trials to test their readiness for the start of international ecolabeling in 2000, a timber executive says.

Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Hendro Prastowo, said here over the weekend that some of the timber companies had said they were willing to undergo the trial but others had not yet responded.

"The ecolabeling trial will start in August or September," he said.

The forest auditing would use a harmonized ecolabeling formula set by the Indonesian Ecolabeling Agency, the ministry of forestry, and the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires, which previously had different ecolabeling standards.

"The three agencies discussed ecolabeling in April and came up with a harmonized formula. It is based on sustainable forest management," said Hendro.

Offer

The concessionaires that have been offered the ecolabeling trial are PT Sindo Lumber, ITCI, Sumalindo Lestari, Sarmiento Parakantja, Sari Bumi Kusuma, Kinai Lestari, Melapi Timber, Limbang Ganeca, Inhutani I and II, Gunung Meranti, Balikpapan Forest Industri, Intracawood, Narkata Rimba, Dharma Satya Nusantara, Inhutani I Labanan, Belayan River Timber, Sandijaya Satria, Sarang Sapta Putra, Alas Helau, Gunung Gajah Abadi, and Timber Dana.

Hendro said the ecolabeling trial to prepare Indonesian concessionaires before international ecolabeling was enforced on the world market in 2000.

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), which groups consumer and producer countries, has stipulated that in 2000 ecolabeling would be a prerequisite for producers of tropical timber to gain access to international markets.

When international ecolabeling is applied, Indonesian concessionaires will find it hard to sell their products overseas without ecolabels, said Hendro.

Ecolabeling has been reportedly applied in 19 countries since 1977. These countries include members of the European Union, Canada, Japan, Scandinavian countries, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, India, South Korea, Singapore, Croatia, Taiwan and Israel.

Last year, Indonesia and Malaysia expressed concern over the ecolabeling requirement.

The two countries said they considered the ITTO ecolabeling ruling unfair because it did not apply to non-tropical timber. (bnt)