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The study “Supply Chain Mapping of Malaysian Timber and Wood-based Industries” seeks to provide an overview of the Malaysian timber trade and offer insights into specific supply chains in the timber sector. Malaysian timber companies, institutional investors and other stakeholders can…
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On 30 August 2016, NEPCon and our Vietnamese partner SFMI launched an online training platform on FLEGT - the EU’s programme aimed at combatting illegal logging, improving forest management and promoting legal timber trade.
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On 30 August 2016, NEPCon and our Vietnamese partner SFMI launched an online training platform on FLEGT - the EU’s programme aimed at combatting illegal logging, improving forest management and promoting legal timber trade. This platform, for the local timber industry and civil society…
- Market news
Hernesaaren Löyly has become Finland’s first building project that obtains FSC Project Certification. The story behind this successful public sauna gives project owners and contractors a better understanding of this lesser-known FSC certification type.
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- Press releases
Hanoi (30 August 2016) – Today NEPCon and SFMI launch an online training platform providing knowledge and ready-to-use tools on timber legality for Vietnamese timber enterprises and relevant stakeholders. This is part of the project “Increasing capacity of civil society organisations (…
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The EFTA Surveillance Authority has recognised NEPCon as a Monitoring Organisation (MO) in the European Economic Area (EEA) countries.
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Our website is moved to the new address www.nepcon.org as of 1 June 2016. This move is necessary to ensure that we align our domain name with the type of organisation that NEPCon is today: a not-for-profit organisation.
- Feature
Danish furniture importer Philip Rafn of Furnhouse can testify to the serious work that it takes to comply with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). Even so, he finds the investment made sense, in terms of business and company ethics.
- Perspective
- System updates
- Standard updates
A new version of FSC’s Controlled Wood (CW) Standard addresses major weaknesses as part of a long-pending overhaul of the CW system. FSC certificate holders sourcing CW should brace themselves for significant change. Here is an overview for starters.
- Market news
IKEA Industry Poland Wielbark is the first Polish company to achieve Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certification. The certificate is a new milestone in the company’s effort to meet IKEA’s sustainability goals.
- Perspective
- System updates
FSC’s ambitious project to map the global risk of unacceptable forest activities has reached a new milestone. With the first 20 countries almost completed, FSC now continues with 33 more. China and Indonesia are among the next countries coming into the spotlight.
- Feature
Former Greenpeace senior forest campaigner and prominent voice in the FSC community Judy Rodrigues recently joined NEPCon to work on forest conservation projects. In this interview, she ventures her thoughts on the future of FSC.
- Market news
One of Latvia's largest softwood sawmill companies, AKZ SIA, has earned a Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certificate for its wood pellet production. AKZ relies on FSC certified material and FSC Controlled Wood to prove the responsible origin of their feedstock.
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Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Despite tough challenges, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon are working hard to deliver the assurance of timber legality required by their European business partners. Their latest tactic is to form a new national federation to…
- Perspective
The European Court of Auditors has called for the EU FLEGT Programme to change gear in order to achieve tangible results faster. NEPCon forest legality expert Christian Sloth shares his thoughts on how FLEGT may build on and learn from certification schemes.
- System updates
In a new advice note, FSC permits FSC certificate holders to include pre-consumer reclaimed paper when calculating FSC certified volumes. The advice note is effective immediately.
- Market news
- Press releases
NEPCon has issued a Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certificate to wood pellet producer SBE Latvia. The company is the first in Europe and only the second in the world to earn this credential, expected to be in strong demand by European energy companies.
- System updates
FSC has launched the second round of consultation for the revised Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard. Sensible changes, says NEPCon CoC expert Roman Polyachenko, who welcomes the new draft.
- System updates
Until now, companies have used their own risk assessments in countries without an FSC-endorsed national or central risk assessment. Company assessments were to be eliminated from the FSC system by the end of 2015. However, FSC has decided to postpone the phase-out.
- Market news
Since the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force in 2013, timber testing has evolved to become a key due diligence tool. Industries, authorities and NGOs increasingly turn to the scientists to discover which timbers are hidden in wood products.