Africa

In addition to our own managed forests we procure from a number of forestry companies in West and Central Africa; also from importers of this region. For this sourcing we apply the Responsible Procurement Policy (See section policies) and particularly our Procurement Rules Africa. Given the difficult business environment in Africa, Danzer Group realizes that only a gradual approach will be successful.

First and foremost this means combating illegal logging. Therefore we request from our African suppliers to declare legal sourcing (e.g. harvesting permits), to complete a questionnaire and to give other document proof. In addition we visit suppliers regularly or when we suspect non-compliance. This step can be avoided only when supplier obtain a legality verification or a forest certification. Independently verified legality (e.g. by SGS or Bureau Veritas) is already an achievement in Africa: the countries usually do have advanced forest laws, yet poor enforcement.

We also encourage our suppliers to work toward sustainable forest management and certification. They can join the Global Forest Trade Network of the WWF (www.gftn.org), enroll in TTAP Programs (www.timbertradeactionplan.info) and/or achieve FSC, PAFC-or ISO 14001-certification. The Danzer Group company IFO obtained FSC certification, SIFORCO obtained legality verification and is working towards FSC certification.

All these activities are included in our Environmental & Safety Management System (ESMS) for African Procurement. It is certified according to the environmental ISO 14001:2004 standard. Certificates can be downloaded in the column on the right. Please contact us for more information.

This system is designed to be fully in line with European Union’s FLEGT project, the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Program. The Danzer Group fully supports this program. Only when illegally sourced timber is eliminated, forest managers like Danzer Group that invest substantially in responsible forest management will be able to compete fairly in the world markets.