This is a year of anniversaries. WWF is 50, and our Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) celebrates 20 years of working towards a sustainable trade in forest goods. I have been leading this work in the UK for four years, and thanks to the ongoing commitments and transformative changes undertaken by the businesses I work with through the network, we are making a positive difference to the UK’s footprint on the world’s forests.
GFTN’s foundation in 1991 was triggered by the crises of illegal logging in global forests in the 1980s. Businesses increasingly wanted to work together to reduce their impact on the forests. The aim of this first “buyers’ group” was to promote and facilitate trade in independently, credibly certified products and to encourage responsible forest management worldwide. Over two decades there have been major achievements by stakeholders making commitments to change: FSC certification of forests in Indonesia, Brazil, and the Congo Basin; increasing engagement on sustainable consumption and production in the transforming markets of China, India and Vietnam; and growth of certification in Russian forests, which also present some of the world’s most valuable forest habitats.
Continuing to know exactly how well we are doing towards achieving our goals is vital. Platitudes don’t save forests and policies cannot do the job alone. Effective implementation of policies is what counts. I feel that this year is a particularly important moment to take action to eliminate the poorest sources of forest goods from supply chains. 2011 is the UN’s International Year of Forests, and with the EU Timber Regulation to limit the trade in illegal forest goods in the European market on our horizons, GFTN-UK participants have just published their performance for 2010 purchases. We hope that increasing transparency from GFTN-UK members about their forest sourcing ahead of the regulation will prompt other businesses to do the same.
So what can our forest and trade network outcomes for 2010 tell us? By setting aside commercial sensitivities and acknowledging where the challenges lie in meeting the EU Timber Regulation (as far as we know the details), the sharing of progress by GFTN participants should help other businesses understand where they must work hardest too. It remains a real challenge for companies to trace their forest goods. A surprising amount of timber and paper that GFTN participants counted as not having adequate information to confirm legality of source comes from Europe and North America. There is work to be done to make sure that responsible businesses don’t waste precious time and resources tracking goods for which it should be easy to confirm legal origin. Raising awareness throughout supply chains, including with UK traders and contractors, is required so that chain of custody is operated effectively and it is clear business to business what information is required to show due diligence for forest goods, and why it is important. Continued effort is needed to support producing countries to supply goods from well-managed forests, and eliminate the illegal trade and poor practices.
Forest certification in some of the places that WWF prioritises in its conservation work remains hugely challenging – but massively important. As we continue with our work, we look forward to companies and communities working together with one common goal: a sustainable future for the world’s forests and for the people and economies that depend on them.
