KUALA LUMPUR: Wood-based products industries are encouraged to consider sourcing materials from sustainably-managed forests to ensure the forests’ sustainability, says Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) Chief Executive Officer, Yong Teng Koon.
In a statement yesterday, Yong said, the MTCC believed the nation’s green economy could benefit further from a two-pronged strategy which included growing the demand for certified wood products locally and the export of certified tropical timber.
“This is where the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) plays a vital role in linking the upstream and the downstream sectors through forest management certification and chain of custody certification respectively,” he said.
The MTCS is a country-driven initiative and a national commitment towards ensuring sustainable forest management.
He said due to the export-oriented nature of the timber industry, MTCS was also a market-driven scheme.
“We believe it is equally important to nurture the domestic market’s demand for sustainable timber in tandem with higher income levels and greater awareness of social and environmental issues,” he said.
Since the implementation of MTCS in 2001, a total of 4.66 million hectares of forest areas and 349 timber companies have been certified.
As at Apr 1, 2015, Malaysia has exported a cumulative total of over one million cubic metres of certified tropical timber to 47 destinations all over Asia-Pacific, West Asia, Europe, South Africa, US and Canada.
On Sept 9-12, MTCC will participate in the sixth International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM 2015) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. — Bernama