WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) has launched a national arm in India to drive sustainability in a country whose consumption of timber is expected to expand dramatically in the years to come.
Ten Indian companies who supply timber, wood products and paper to Europe and the US are hoping to become the first participants in the scheme, including Madurai-based Teddy Exports, which makes wooden products for the Body Shop.
India’s timber demand is expected to almost triple from 58 million m³ in 2005 to 153 million m³ in 2020, with wood supply more than doubling from 29 million m³ in 2000 to 60 million m³ in 2020, putting pressure on India’s natural forests.
GFTN-India will encourage trade links between companies which are committed to achieving responsible forestry and will aim to create market conditions supporting forest conservation while providing economic and social benefits.
“Supporting India’s emerging economy is as important as protecting its forests and, in this instance, they are one and the same,” said George White, responsible purchasing co-ordinator, GFTN, WWF International.
Richard McLellan, head of GFTN at WWF International, said GFTN would work with the Indian government and with industry to develop credible certification for India’s forests.
Currently, most timber used in India is from plantations, but it also sources tropical wood from Malaysia, Burma, Ghana and Tanzania. WWF believes the country’s exposure to potentially unsustainable wood will increase in line with rising demand.
