Illegal logging and trade in illegal timber deprive local communities of income and are major drivers of biodiversity loss. Strengthening forest governance and ensuring traded timber meets legal requirements are key to developing a sustainable global timber industry.
One of the largest timber consumers in the world, The European Union, launched the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003 to support timber-producing countries in improving legality in their national forestry sectors. Bilateral agreements with timber-producing countries, known as Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), aim to help partner countries to improve forest governance and guarantee that wood exported from a timber-producing country to the EU comes from legal sources.
With support from UK Aid, SPOTT is expanding to assess and engage more timber and pulp companies in VPA-partner countries at various stages of forestry sector reform – specifically, Indonesia, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. SPOTT will also assess traders in China that source timber from Africa. Country-specific indicators on legality and trade will be developed and direct support provided to timber and pulp companies looking to increase their transparency. SPOTT will also deepen engagement with finance sector user groups and will update the SPOTT platform with new tools for users.
To inform the above activities we will hold multi-stakeholder workshops in Indonesia, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Gabon and China in early 2019 and 2020 to discuss the benefits associated with higher levels of transparency and how this might be achieved.
Selection of new timber and pulp companies for assessment in 2019
In line with previous years we have selected companies by taking the needs of SPOTT users into account, aiming to identify companies, geographies and supply chain points with high potential for positive impact. For 2019 assessments we have selected new timber and pulp producers and traders based on the following general considerations:
- Operations in priority countries (i.e. Indonesia, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, traders in China, and other high forest cover geographies)
- Area of land owned or leased, or volume traded
- Evidence of sustainable or unsustainable practices identified through media reports
- Nominated by interested stakeholders – including the finance sector, buyers, and other SPOTT users
- Volunteered for assessment on SPOTT
The 50* new timber and pulp companies are:
- Adindo Foresta Indonesia Tbk PT
- Africa Sustainable Investment (ASI)
- Afriwood Industrie
- Alas Kusuma Group PT
- Asia Congo Industries Limited (ACI)
- Beijing New Building Material Group (BNBM Group) Co. Ltd.
- Bois et Sciages de l’Ogooué (BSO)
- BPL (Bois et Placages de Lopola)
- China Forestry Group Corporation
- CIBN
- Compagnie Dan Gabon (CDG)
- Congo Dejia Wood Industry
- Dino & Fils
- Fipcam
- Gabon Wood Industries (GWI)
- Groupe Decolvenaere (GDC)
- Groupe Fokou
- Jiangsu High Hope International Group
- Integra Group
- International Paper
- Jiangsu Wanlin Modern Logistics Co Ltd.
- KHLL Forestry SA
- Kimbakala et Cie
- Likouala Timber
- Maderacre
- Ningbo ND Import Co. Ltd.
- Nouvelle Trabec
- Woodbois
- Peng Xin
- Rain Forest Management (RFM)
- SAF (Société d’Aménagement et d’Exploitation des Forêts)
- SEEF (Societe Equatoriale D’Exploitation Forestiere)
- SEFECCAM-SIENCAM
- SEFYD (Société d’Exploitation Forestière Yuan Dong)
- SFM Africa Ltd
- Shandong Longsheng Import And Export Co. Ltd.
- Shanghai Sen Lian Timber Industrial Development Co. Ltd.
- Sicofor (Sino-Congo-Forest)
- SIFCO (Société Industrièlle et Forestière du Congo)
- SIPAM
- Sodinaf (Société de distribution nouvelle d’Afrique)
- SOFIA (Société Forestière et Industrielle d’Abal)
- SOMIVAB
- Sumec International Technology Trade Co. Ltd.
- Taman
- Transport Bois Négoce International (TBNI)
- Wang Sam Resources & Trading Company
- Wenzhou Timber Group Company Ltd
- Xiamen Xindeco Ltd
- Zhejiang Materials Industry Senhua Group Co. Ltd.
SPOTT assessments of 100* timber and pulp companies will begin in March. We will contact companies with their draft assessments in May, providing them with the opportunity to make further disclosures ahead of the final review and publication of assessments on SPOTT. Final assessments will be published on SPOTT in July 2019.
* Update 27/06/19: During the assessment and engagement process, it has come to our attention that three companies do not currently have active forestry operations, hence not fulfilling the assessment selection criteria. Nouvelle Trabec and SFM Africa Ltd have been removed from the list of new timber and pulp companies selected in 2019. Barito Pacific, which was assessed on SPOTT in 2018, is no longer assessed, bringing the total number of timber and pulp companies assessed in 2019 to 97.