CHINA CONFERENCE A SUCCESS!
The recent International Conference: Forest, Markets, Policy and Practice took placeon September 8-9th 2009 in Shanghai, China and brought together more than 30 speakers and over 350 participants from 170 organizations. Roughly one third were from non-profit organizations including government, academia and NGO’s - and the remaining two thirds coming from industry including tradecompanies, timber producers, manufactures, and retailers with about 80% of the entire audience coming from China and 20% from overseas.
The conference explored emerging policies by the EU, China, and the USA aimed at addressing illegal and unsustainable trade in forest products, and then focused on the leading industry responses to the effect of these policies as “game changer”.
Sponsored by the Chinese State Forestry Administration International Forestry Cooperation Center and The Nature Conservancy, and generously supported by the US Agency for International Development Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (USAID-RAFT) Program, the event highlighted the important role China plays both domestically and globally in the forest products market.
Government representatives, landowners, manufacturers, and retailers illustrated their innovations in responsible sourcing policies and strategies. Organizers included the Rainforest Alliance, World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Chinese Academy of Forestry.
Key trends that emerged at the conference include:
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Accelerating awareness of legality and sustainability issues associated with international forest products trade.
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The supply of certified and/or legal raw material remains a major challenge for manufacturers.
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An understanding that companies that secure legal and sustainable supply will enhance their likelihood to maintain or increase market share in increasingly challenging global and national markets.
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Consensus that policies like the amended Lacey Act in the USA and pending European Union legality due diligence requirements are game changers in the forest products marketplace globally.
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Acknowledgement of the critical importance of government actions such as measures to enhance the legality of products in trade (imports and exports), procurement programs that foster sustainability and legality through government purchasing, and on-the-ground improvements in forest management.
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Growing understanding of the value that third party verification or certification schemes bring to can play in forest management and forest products markets.
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The importance of forming coalitions of the specific roles international banks, governments, industry and NGOs in promoting sustainable forestry and verified legal markets and the emerging carbon markets.
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The emergence of numerous responsible procurement support programs around the world, that are playing an innovate role in enhancing legal & sustainable supply.
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Though financial tools that incorporate sustainability requirements (i.e. requiring certification or verification) are relatively, there is a strong appetite for them in the investment community.
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A critical challenge, and potential solution, for future forest product supply resides in moving, in a stepwise fashion, from Traceable to Legal to Certified Sustainable – a process that takes time, but is achievable.
Ultimately, the conference provided companies now leading responsible growth in China with a firm understanding of emerging public policies that are changing forest product markets and with clear guidance on how to engage these opportunities.
Media Coverage - more than 29 articles were generated on this conference worldwide. Media clipping list available on request to approved entities.
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