From the forest to the consumer - GVces - Fundação Getulio Vargas

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He points out that even the individual consumer who buys timber to make a
bed frame or to use in a house addition should leave the retail store with a tax
receipt and the Forest Origin Document. “Despite the problems, the market has
been slowly adjusting and advancing,” he says.
A protocol that engages retailers and
building companies
Signed in March 2009 by 23 organizations – companies, NGOs, government
agencies and research centers –, the Legal Timber (Madeira é Legal)
protocol has been a driving force behind the movement aimed at fighting deforestation.
Focusing on the consumer market in São Paulo and incorporating
the Cadmadeira and the DOF, it developed initiatives to promote sustainable
practices and support conservation and economic development in the Amazon.
At the center of its efforts is the civil construction sector, the largest consumer
of native tropical wood, used to make roof structure, concrete molds, scaffolding,
beams to shore slabs, as well as windows, doors, floorings and baseboards.
“There was strong demand from the state for a collective effort,” says
Lílian Sarrouf, technical coordinator of the Environment Committee at the Civil
Construction of Large Structures Industry Association (SindusCon-SP). SindusCon
takes part in the Legal Timber program along with the association of
Amazon Certified Forest Producers (PFCA), WWF Brazil and the Friends of the
Amazon Network at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Center for Sustainability Studies.
“When we talk about sustainability, it is important to remember that civil
construction companies cannot operate alone,” says Lílian. “We need to involve
the final user”. She says that the voluntary protocol was a result of the involvement
of producers and consumers. “We are in a learning phase, when we start
operating in full swing we can think about making the protocol mandatory”.
Meanwhile, one of the main tasks is to guide the market towards a new
consumption pattern and train professionals for responsible procurement.
In addition to encouraging producers to get social and environmental cer-