The Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (CIB) has moved closer towards achieving Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation after a revolutionary visit from Greenpeace.
Tropical Forest Trust executive director Scott Poynton said Greenpeace visited CIB’s forest concessions in the Republic of Congo in December 2004.
Its subsequent report concludes with 73 recommendations for CIB, two recommendations for donors funding Congo’s forestry sector and a further 13 recommendations for the government of Congo.
Mr Poynton said: “The miracle is that the visit happened at all. Both CIB and Greenpeace know there is much to win and much to lose. If CIB can achieve a strong and credible FSC certificate, they will serve as a model for other companies in the Congo Basin.”
He described the Greenpeace recommendations as “excellent” and added that if CIB could not achieve certification then many in the industry would conclude that no-one in the region could.
Robert Hunink of CIB welcomed what he hoped would be a new collaborative approach between Greenpeace and the African forestry and wood processing sectors.
