Sustainable production is the first step for Vietnamese wood businesses to reach out to the world

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - The wood industry is one of the important production and export sectors for the country as well as for Dong Nai. Currently, world consumption is changing positively towards more sustainability, especially natural products, which requires the wood production industry to also adjust to meet increasingly strict standards. 

Ms. Nguyen Nam Tran​  

Ms. Nguyen Nam Tran, Executive Director of Certification Services and Systems of SGS Vietnam LTD (a branch of a global organization from Switzerland) shared about the importance and special notices that the business community need to study.

Consumer trends are changing towards sustainability

FSC is an international certification. To be certified, forests must comply with regulations of environmental protection, social responsibility, natural resource protection... There are many strict requirements and procedures need to be made in order for a forester to receive this certification.

When receiving FSC certification, units exploit raw material forests to produce certified wooden products for sale to the export market, ensuring they are loved by consumers. Especially in the US and EU markets, where consumers care a great deal for legal issues and environmental protection certificates.

We can take Europe as an example. According to a survey conducted by the European Commission, 85% of European consumers consider sustainability an important factor when purchasing wood products. Demand for certified wood products has been steadily increasing, with FSC reporting a 40% growth in the number of FSC certified products sold in Europe from 2013 to present.

In addition, research conducted by the European Environmental Agency shows that 76% of European consumers believe that products should be designed to last as long as possible. The Eurobarometer survey also shows 77% of Europeans are willing to pay more for durable products, including wood products, that can be easily repaired.

FSC certification has more commercial advantages when the requirements of "sustainability" and "legality" have become principles for wood products that want to export to the EU, US and many other countries. Therefore, businesses will choose certified wood instead of wood of unknown origin, this is also to satisfy consumers who have a very high level of awareness and are difficult to please.

Sustainable development is mandatory for businesses

The Vietnamese Government has implemented many policies and programs to promote the protection, development and sustainable management of forest resources towards forest certification, including FSC certification. Over the past 10 years, in response to the strict requirements and demands of the market, many businesses have made efforts to implement and achieve sustainable development certifications, thereby contributing to improving Vietnam's wood production and processing to become one of the strong industries with great export value. 

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Businesses and members of the Dong Nai Wood Association visited the legal wood raw material booth  

In Dong Nai province, in addition to evaluating and issuing FSC certificates for planted forests, the province also works with many wooden furniture manufacturing enterprises, not only in forest planting. This certificate is also issued to production location meets the criteria of sustainability and green production.

Dong Nai province has many closed forests. The area of planted forests is also large and the wood production and processing industry is developed. That is a necessary condition for us to be able to deploy FSC widely, but achieving it is not easy. The province has a plan, while wood production enterprises also have units that act as bridges connecting foresters with manufacturers... setting up the foundation for its implementation.

As a companion of businesses in the wood industry, SGS Vietnam is committed to supporting them in their efforts to improve the system towards sustainable development, minimizing risks affecting the reputation of businesses, and the entire industry. In addition to FSC certification for the wood industry, they are also working and providing other important certifications for businesses in many fields to support Vietnamese businesses in integration with the international market.​