U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region
Furniture Design, Hardware & Fittings because the respective governments are pushing for it. Regulatory bodies are looking into the operations of a company and assessing its work ethics, such as labour conditions and its impact on the local community if any. For instance, TÜV SÜD offers the Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000) certification, which is a standard for improving working conditions. It is the first globally recognised social compliance standard, and addresses child labour, forced labour, discrimination, remuneration and working hours among others.
Moving Towards Sustainability The growth of socially conscious consumers has led to the demand of greater corporate social responsibility and the need for sustainable practices. Regulatory bodies have begun adding measurements of environmental friendliness to their repertoire of standards. This is especially pertinent with regards to the wood furniture industry, as there is an increasing amount of legislation dictating the need for wood products to be certified as sustainably sourced. These regulations are concerned with issues such as illegal logging, the sustainability of forests, as well as a product’s carbon footprint. In particular, legislative developments in the US and EU, such as the Lacey Act and EU Timber Regulation, are veering towards a mandatory certification of wood products. The Australian Senate has also tabled a ‘Logging Prohibition Bill’ in 2011, which marks a move to restrict all importations of illegally logged timber products into Australia. As such, certification creates greater access for manufacturers and retailers into export markets that possess these requirements. It proves to regulatory bodies that the businesses have performed their due diligence in ensuring that a product adheres with environmental standards.
Certification proves to regulatory bodies that companies have performed due diligence in using sustainably sourced products.
Green Schemes One programme that companies can partake in to certify their products is the Chain of Custody (CoC), which is provided by the Forestry Steward Council (FSC), or through the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC). The CoC certification monitors the production flow from raw wood to final product to ensure that products are from responsibly produced raw materials. As Mr Lim has mentioned, the FSC is the forefather of wood certification and covers forest management as well as the share of custody. Depending on which part of the value chain one is at, different standards cater to different stakeholders, such as the various types of certification that the council offers. TÜV SÜD’s certification programme also includes an ecological aspect that according to Mr Lim, measures against specific ratings, where the wood from a specific product comes from, its colours, and the chemicals used to treat it. Some other initiatives include the ANSI/ BIFMA e3-2011e Furniture Sustainability
Standard, which evaluates furniture products on criteria such as energy and atmosphere, and human and ecosystem health. FIRA has also launched the Furniture Industry Sustainability Program, which displays a member’s focus on sustainability. Elsewhere in Asia, the Singapore Furniture Industry Council (SFIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) to promote the certification and adoption of green furniture. Both organisations are currently developing the criteria for the green furniture scheme, which will be an extension of SGBC’s Singapore Green Building Products certification scheme. Simultaneously, major trade organisations in Indonesia’s forestry sector have signed a declaration to engage in world-class timber production and trade standards, to support the Indonesian drafted Timber Legality Verification System (SLVK). The developments within the certification industry have only proven how export markets are buyer specific and driven by consumer demands. Like Mr Lim has said, a company’s main markets influence the compliance to a certain set of standards. For instance, a business whose main export market is in the UK would opt for a FIRA certification. However, there is a current lack of harmonisation within the furniture and wood industry, as each country adheres to their own legislation. As certification and standards for the industry move towards social and environmental responsibility and becomes a mandatory obligation in some nations, increased harmonisation might serve as an improvement that not only reduces costs for industry players, but also creates greater accessibility into global FDM markets as well.
ENQUIRY NO. 4504
www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA may/jun 2012
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