Singapore set to expand chain of custody certification and responsible sourcing of forest products

As a big consumer of imported materials, Singapore is being encouraged to become a centre of influence, committed to responsible procurement from the Asian region’s forests and plantations.

This was the message from Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International CEO, speaking at a Roundtable and Lunch at Grand Copthorne Hotel on 19 September. The event was attended by 50 representatives from government agencies, think tanks, industry bodies, certification bodies, private sector companies and media.

It also marked the launch of PEFC’s Chain of Custody certification scheme, now recognised by the Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC), which is managed by Enterprise Singapore.

Deputy Director of Enterprise Singapore Ms Lee Ham Eng told the gathering that this scheme provides greater support to the industry to meet the Green Mark requirement for Mass Engineered Timber (MET) to be sourced from sustainably managed forests. It also facilitates recognition and acceptance of certified wood products from Singapore’s key trading partners, notably Indonesia, Malaysia and China, all of which have PEFC endorsed forest certification systems.

Mr Gunneberg gave an overview of PEFC’s work and stressed that sustainable forest management can contribute to meeting social, economic and environmental challenges, as well as help countries and companies address all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

With 17 million hectares of forests certified in Asia, it’s the fastest growing region for PEFC. However, Mr Gunneberg pointed out that there’s a lot of room to grow responsible sourcing in countries like Singapore, which currently has only 22 Chain of Custody certificate holders out of a total 1421 throughout Asia.

Mr Gunneberg said there’s greater value in expanding Chain of Custody certification in Singapore by incorporating it into private and public sector procurement policies, demonstrating support for sustainably managed forests and meeting UN Sustainability Development Goals.

It also enables companies to meet legality issues and customer expectations as well as introduce traceability solutions into the supply chain.
more detail at: https://pefc.org/news/singapore-set-to-expand-chain-of-custody-certification-and-responsible-sourcing-of-forest-products

Related Posts

Outside Voice: Mike Wallace, the Evolution of Sustainability Reporting

Our Outside Voice series highlights the perspectives of stakeholders and leaders on important sustainability topics, such as sustainability reporting. On the particulars, we may not always agree. But we believe in hearing and learning from others who offer valuable insights and a different point of view on issues that are important to us all. Mike Wallace, a partner at BrownFlynn, an ERM Group company, is an internationally recognized expert in sustainability with more than 20 years of experience advising corporations, nonprofits and government agencies on sustainability programs. He’s also interim executive director of the Social and Human Capital Coalition, a global collaboration that helps companies recognize, measure and value the importance of people and communities. Previously, he was a director at the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Wallace recently spoke with our Outside Voice team about the evolution of sustainability reporting, new areas of interest for stakeholders and the benefits of transparency to both publicly traded and privately owned companies.

PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue set to take sustainable forest management to new levels

Forest certification is in this context a success story. As of 2019, about one-third of the wood used in products, packaging or construction is certified as originating from sustainable forest management and supply chains. PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, has been instrumental to this success. With innovations such as group certification, a mechanism that makes certification accessible to small- and family forest owners, PEFC has expanded the accessibility of certification. Today about one million forest owners have obtained PEFC certification. With its latest sustainable forest management standard, PEFC expanded the scope of certification to include Trees outside Forests, extending the impact of PEFC certification beyond the boundaries of the forest. This innovation can make PEFC certification practical and affordable to farmers or other land managers, who are often growing trees as just one of their many crops.

The Climate Pledge and the We Mean Business Coalition Partner on Comprehensive Effort to Drive Companies to Adopt More Ambitious Carbon Reduction Goals

Amazon and We Mean Business, a global nonprofit coalition working with businesses to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy, announced they have partnered to establish the world’s most comprehensive effort to drive companies to adopt more ambitious carbon emissions reduction goals. The We Mean Business coalition works with over 1,200 companies, with a total market capitalization of more than $24.8 trillion, to drive business action and policy ambition on climate change and increase chances of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The partnership will: *Encourage companies to take a leadership position and accelerate their goals to meet The Climate Pledge — the commitment co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement. *Mobilize supply chains, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to take and scale-up measurable and direct action on climate change. *Determine ambitious and accountable means for companies to credibly integrate Nature-Based Solutions in their climate strategies.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search