Our FLEGT project in Vietnam has launched the first tools in a due diligence toolbox for timber industries in export countries.
After slightly over one year, a project supporting Vietnam's FLEGT process has attracted major attention amongst the Vietnamese industry. Jointly managed by NEPCon and the Vietnamese organisation SFMI, the project has been actively reaching out to the industry through a number of channels. These efforts are now showing results.
The Vietnamese timber industry is export-oriented, with the EU as one of the major destinations. Vietnam is negotiating a formal FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU.
The VPAs are a key part of the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. The plan aims to halt illegal timber trade by addressing forest governance in timber producing countries. Another important part of the FLEGT Programme is the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) that prohibits EU traders from placing illegal timber on the EU market.
First due diligence tools launched
At the Vietnam International Furniture Fair. VIFA-EXPO 2015 11-14 March 2015, the project launched two new industry guides. The guides are the first tools in a free toolkit developed for timber processing and trading enterprises in Vietnam.
The fair is an important event for putting spotlight on legal timber trade, since Vietnam is a key country for producing finished assembled timber products. These products also pose major challenges in assuring the legal origin of the timber they contain.
"These are only the first versions of the guides," notes project manager Ann Weddle from NEPCon. "In the coming months, 20-25 small and medium enterprises will be testing the toolkit to ensure it is user-friendly, functional and effective". The toolkit will ultimately contain a range of tools to guide businesses on how they can comply with the applicable regulations of the timber industry in Vietnam and source low-risk timber.
At the fair, the project team presented the first tools: A short guide on good record keeping and another on the role of certified timber under the EU Timber Regulation.
"The guides include basic advice as well", says project coordinator Duong Thi Lien, explaining that the project's key focus is on the needs of small and medium sized companies (SMEs).
She adds: "We've made an effort to address all challenges and awareness gaps that may form a barrier for SMEs to fulfil the FLEGT requirements. The starting point is their level of knowledge and experience. For example, our guide on record keeping includes a list of simple tools that SMEs can use to keep records. In this way, the guide also supports small businesses to improve their business management in general. This is just an added value that helps to promote the FLEGT instrument in our country."
Vietnamese traders keen to assure legal timber
"We're experiencing sincere interest amongst the Vietnamese trade and their associations and also by the local industry media," says Ms Weddle.
"Our Facebook page was launched in December 2014 and has already attracted more than 800 followers. Our project has gained a lot of traction in the Vietnamese press, and it attracts many people at events and trade fairs."
At the VIFA-Expo Fair, the project team offered a series of well-attended "timber legality clinics" - sessions where the project's experts answered questions from the delegates.
> Download the guides (in English and Vietnamese)
> Explore the project website (in English and Vietnamese)
> View the project's Facebook page (in Vietnamese)
