Expert Interview with Scott Poynton

Scott Poynton – TFT Executive Director. He has worked in international forestry issues for more than 25 years, predominantly with the private sector and for a short period as Managing Director of the world’s largest wooden outdoor furniture manufacturing company. He founded TFT in 1999.

Q: Please describe TFT’s approach to promote sustainable forestry and legal timber trade, and its recent development in China and the region

Since our founding in 1999 our main focus has been to provide solutions to the issue of deforestation and the empowerment of forest dependent communities. We have helped companies transform their timber supply chains and stop forest destruction. Through the same model, we involved institutional donors and individuals looking to build capacity on the ground thus giving communities and local companies the tools to provide responsible wood products to world markets. With offices in 13 countries, one of which is in Beijing, we’re now expanding our work to a broad range of products using our supply chain expertise to identify and address the social and environmental issues embedded in them with a strong focus on natural resource management and traceability.

Q: What are the opportunities and roadblocks you see in this process?

The opportunities that I see in China is that as the world’s largest importing and processing nation of timber, TFT can have a very real impact in worldwide forests by supporting the industry to purchase timber only from responsible sources, thereby reducing the pressure of illegal logging and deforestation. A significant roadblock in this process is that demand from Europe and the US, which have or are implementing policies to exclude products containing illegal timber represent a fraction of the market compared to domestic or other market nations that do not enforce these such controls. As such there is little commitment from Chinese producers to invest in their supply chains and source responsible forest products. However, the tide is starting to turn in China and events such as this, which raise awareness of the issues as well as strong consumer demand in purchasing countries will demonstrate to companies that responsible purchasing of timber will help the sustainability of their business.

Q: What efforts TFT and its members have taken to address these opportunities and challenges?

TFT assists its members to source responsible products for their supply chains and in by doing so helps differentiate their products in the market from those sourced irresponsibly. By doing so our members are promoting their credentials as responsible companies, managing their risk and maintaining their market access in the face of legislation such as the EU’s Timber regulation and the USA’s Lacey Act. In addressing the issue of illegal timber in their supply chains and committing to excluding it through the assistance of TFTs technical capacity of supply chain management, we are addressing many of the challenges faced. However, in order to level the playing field a single clear message is required from all countries and buyers that only responsible products will be accepted. To date this is not the case but TFT is working hard with our members to achieve this.

Q: What are the impacts of these efforts on the forest products industry (in China and internationally)?

TFT through the TTAP project, helped Sainty Bancom, a plywood producer achieve the first ever Verified Legal Origin (VLO) certificate out of China from SmartWood. This was a significant success demonstrating to the industry that it is possible to bring verified composite products made from multiple species and sources to market. Sainty Bancom achieved this by working with domestic poplar farmers and peeling mill to legally verify the core of the plywood and combined this with tropical face and back from a Malaysian forestry company that TFT also help to achieve VLO and complete the supply chain through to a buyer in the UK. With this success Sainty Bancom have managed to keep their trade links open with EU by demonstrating due diligence in their supply chain but they do not want to stop there but rather push ahead to work towards achieving FSC certification.

Q: What are your strategic recommendations and thoughts for moving forward?

Chinese industries exporting to the USA and the EU must see that the legislation implemented has teeth – without this, business as usual will continue in many Chinese companies where no questions are asked about responsible sourcing of their raw material and forests worldwide will be prone to illegal logging activities and deforestation. Regardless of whether this is achieved there are other importing regions that do not yet have similar legislation to exclude products containing illegally logged timber and exports to these areas could increase, negating the hard work implemented in the EU and USA. A level playing field is therefore required across the board from all buying nations. Where this is one side of the picture the industry should also see that acting responsibly does reward those that commit to this end and others will follow. TFT is already seeing the positive effects of increased order inquiries from Sainty Bancom for their VLO plywood and an example such as this will help promote their success and encourage others to do the same.