| 01/11/2005
- Dongguan, China - The China Forest and Trade Network
(CFTN) marked a major milestone when it formally announced
that five companies from mainland China and three companies
from Hong Kong have qualified as its first official members.
Welcomed at a reception yesterday
held during the “China Wood Markets Export and Import
Conference” in Dongguan, these new members (see list below)
are the first companies in China and Hong Kong to pass
the CFTN membership requirement, thus demonstrating long
term commitments to responsible forest management and
trade.
The companies include two of China’s
largest state-owned forest bureaus, three major private
manufacturing companies based in mainland China, and three
trading companies located in Hong Kong.
Working in parallel with 30 other
country Forest and Trade Networks that represent more
than 400 companies, the CFTN gives its members market
access to a vast global network of similarly minded businesses.
“China is emerging as a dominant force
in the global forest trade,” said Mr. Jin Zhonghao, Manager
of the CFTN said at yesterday’s event. “It’s crucial that
Chinese companies have a network that enables them to
demonstrate that they are managing forests sustainably
and processing and trading forest products responsibly.
We welcome the first eight CFTN members who can serve
as guiding lights for others in the industry.”
Half of the world’s original forest
cover has already been destroyed and much of that destruction
has taken place over the last 50 years. The world’s second
largest importer of industrial timber, pulp, and paper,
China leaves a massive ecological footprint across the
forests of the globe both as a producer and a consumer.
Faced with an increasing demand for
wood and paper products along with diminishing forest
resources, China imports timber from many countries, including
Russia, Indonesia, South America, and Central Africa.
These regions have significant problems such as illegal
logging and forest crimes, loss of natural forest to agriculture
and silviculture and loss of biodiversity.
Against this backdrop, the environmentally
sensitive markets of Europe and North America are calling
for wood products that are legally harvested. The companies
that joined the CFTN today see the potential to grow their
export trade with these regions by becoming more responsible
in their purchasing and achieving credible certification.
“Our customers in Europe demand certified
and legal timber,” said Peter Cox, Quality Assurance Manager
for Hong Kong-based trading company Kingfisher Asia Ltd.
“CFTN can provide the support to our Chinese manufacturers
that will help us meet this demand.”
In order to qualify for the CFTN,
all the new member companies have undergone baseline audits
and prepared detailed action plans to improve their environmental
performance. The CFTN will provide technical support and
guidance to help these companies follow through on these
action plans in order to achieve credible certification
within a five year period.
CFTN member companies acknowledge that, given the state
of today’s changing global forest market, responsible
forest management and trade is good business. Mr. Lu Weiguang,
the Chairman of the Shanghai-based Anxin Flooring Company,
put it this way: “Anxin’s goal is to become the leading
flooring company in the world, and to achieve that we
must take responsibility for the environment. The CFTN
will help my company find sustainable sources of legal
timber so that both my business and the forests will thrive
for generations to come.”
Notes:
* Launched in March 2005, CFTN is the China chapter of
the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), WWF’s worldwide
partnership between leading non-governmental organizations,
companies and communities aimed at eliminating illegal
logging and improving the management of valuable and threatened
forests. By facilitating market links between companies
committed to achieving and supporting responsible forestry,
the GFTN creates market conditions that help conserve
forests and biodiversity, while providing economic and
social benefits for the businesses and people who depend
on them.
* China Forest and Trade Network members
announced on 31/10/05:
From mainland China:
Jinlin Province Baihe Forest Bureau (Producer)
Heilongjiang Province Youhao Forest Bureau (Producer)
Yihua Timber (Manufacturer)
Shanghai Anxin Flooring Co. Ltd. (Manufacturer)
Yingbin (Shunde-Foshan)
Timber Co. Ltd. (Manufacturer)
From Hong Kong:
Kingfisher Asia Ltd. (Trading company)
100% Concept Asia Pacific Ltd. (Trading company)
Auma International Ltd. (Trading company) |
