Only three out of 100 timber processors in Indonesia have had their green credentials endorsed by the Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute (IEI).
Forestry minister M S Kaban has warned that ecolabel certification is the only way to gain wider access to the global market.
Speaking during the presentation of certificates from the IEI to PT Sumalindo Lestari Jaya in Jakarta, he said that Japan and the US had implemented a policy which only allowed legal and environmentally-friendly products to enter their markets – and that the EU was about to follow suit.
IEI executive director Taufiq Ali said that many companies failed to meet even the most basic requirements for certification – and that many were reluctant to even try for certification as it was seen as too expensive.
Timber processing firms were also encouraged to increase the area of their timber plantations to lessen dependance on natural forests for raw materials – a move endorsed by PT Sumalindo which sources around 80% of the raw materials for its MDF production from its own timber plantations.
