An ALLIANCE culture to safeguard Africa's forests

%
of imports
European imports of glued laminated timber in 2019
In 1000 USD
2743
2541
INTERHOLCO invested heavily in the launch of the
“Fair&Precious” campaign in 2017, together with
other timber producers who respect the highest
standards of sustainability 19 . The initiative,
led by the ATIBT with the support of Germany
and France, targets the main countries within
the European Union that import African timber,
including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom,
which account for around 90 % of imports 20 . The
"Fair&Precious" campaign aims on the one hand
to make the general public aware of the benefits
of sustainable timber: protection of biodiversity,
climate and species habitats, professional
training, showcasing of a natural, healthy material
with excellent properties, construction of
infrastructure and respect for human rights. On
the other hand, it also endeavours to encourage
people to choose certified timber as an environmentally-friendly
gesture through traders who
adhere to the approach by making certified sustainable
timber available to customers.
Let yourself be inspired by
"SUSTAINABLE HARDWOOD,
MADE IN AFRICA", its remarkable
properties make it the best choice for
a creative, eco-friendly and healthy
project that you can be proud of.
Pierre-Yves BELLEC
Head of Carpentry, IFO
INTERHOLCO seeks to offer customers a token of
confidence in its practices. The SPOTT ranking (an
initiative led by the United Kingdom and Norway
among others 21 ) assesses the transparency of
around one hundred timber-producing companies
in the tropics in relation to ESG criteria, including
respect for the environment, human rights and
governance. For the third consecutive year, in
2019 INTERHOLCO took first place in the SPOTT 22
ranking, with over 94 % transparency, assessed
across more than one hundred indicators.
Republic
of the Congo
Ghana
1205
Ivory
Coast
533
Cameroon
In order to comply with the European Union Timber
Regulation (EUTR) and to minimise risk in
relation to third party procurement, INTERHOL-
CO ensures that all its suppliers undergo on-site
legality checks. Between 2017 and 2019, INTER-
HOLCO also supported third party suppliers based
in Central Africa, specifically in Gabon and the
293
Democratic
Republic
of the Congo
202
Gabon
DRC, in bringing themselves up-to-date in order
to acquire certification for their forest management
model. To date, one further supplier has
been certified for legality/due diligence and four
suppliers are in the process of obtaining legality
certification.
A rapid shift towards sustainable timber could have wide-ranging
consequences for the world's tropical forests - if the EU28 sourced
100% verified sustainable, it could positively impact an additional
11.7 to 13.4 million hectares of tropical forest. Based on the
assumption that certification will prevent premature re-entry logging
in the areas it covers, the EU trade in certified tropical timber has the
potential to mitigate 55 to 88 million metric tons CO 2 a year. 23
Marc VAN BENTHEM
Director, Probos
19
https://www.fair-and-precious.org/en
20
https://www.idhsustainabletrade.com/uploaded/2020/10/IDH-Unlocking-sust-tropical-timber-market-growth-through-data_MM.pdf
21
https://www.spott.org/about/
22
https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/interholco-ag/
23
Mapping Europe’s sustainable tropical timber footprint and growing its global impact :
https://www.gtf-info.com/uncategorized/mapping-europes-sustainable-tropical-timber-footprint-and- growing-its-global-impact/
42 43