NEPCon Establishes South Asian Regional Hub in India

Update (29 May 2019): As of 2 May 2019, Aadarsh Mohandas has been appointed as South Asia Manager. In this capacity he will oversee the delivery of our services in South Asia sub-region. 

New Delhi, INDIA - 8 January 2019 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

NEPCon, an international non-profit organization and leading provider of sustainability certification services in nearly 100 countries, is pleased to announce the establishment of a South Asian regional hub in India in order to provide companies direct provision of Forest Stewardship Council™, Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture, and other sustainability certification services.   

NEPCon currently provides certification services to more than 200 clients in FSC forest management and chain of custody and Rainforest Alliance / UTZ sustainable agriculture across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, as well as Middle East countries, following the acquisition of the Rainforest Alliance’s certification division on October 1st of last year, which included the client portfolio in South Asia (press release). 

NEPCon values the mission benefit of the work in South Asia and is committed to continuing and expanding their activities in the region. This led NEPCon to begin the process of establishing a fully owned, legal subsidiary in India with locally-based employees in order to provide the highest quality services as possible, and to be able to engage directly with clients.  

As a result, NEPCon is discontinuing its previous arrangement with Wood Certification Private Limited (Woodcert), the company who had earlier been working as subcontractor to Rainforest Alliance, and subsequently NEPCon, in India. 

“We look forward to growing our work in South Asia. The region is a globally significant area in terms of land use for the both agriculture and forestry, and we look forward to working with clients in terms of helping them to gain all the benefits of their commitments to using sustainable management practices, as well as communicating their stories of sustainability to the world,” said Peter Feilberg, Executive Director of NEPCon. 

In addition to the FSC and Rainforest Alliance sustainable agriculture services already provided, NEPCon expects to offer a number of new services in the region, for example the certification of palm oil and biomass from sustainable sources, timber legality, and sustainable tourism. 

“We have a team dedicated to the transition that includes senior management oversight from the NEPCon international team, as well as local team members with extensive previous experience in providing sustainability certification in the country and South Asia region” said Laura Terrall Kohler, Director of NEPCon’s Assurance Services division. 

Companies interested in contacting NEPCon regarding sustainability certification services may contact staff based at the new office in New Delhi: https://www.nepcon.org/contact-us/india 

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For further information, please contact:  

Mr. Aadarsh Mohandas, Senior Certification Specialist, india@nepcon.org, +91 9111133990 

Ms. Katie Miller, Communications Coordinator, km@nepcon.org, +45 3155 2536 

About NEPCon 

NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected) is an international non-profit organisation that works to build capacity and commitment for mainstreaming sustainability. For nearly 25 years, we have worked to foster sustainable land use and responsible trade in forest commodities. We do this through innovation projects, capacity building, and sustainability services. Learn more at www.nepcon.org  

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FSC Expert Courses in India

This year, NEPCon is expanding its training calendar to include FSC Expert Courses in South Asia for the first time! These courses, led by experienced auditors, offer participants from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to learn essential topics relevant to the FSC system, trademark, ISO 19011, relevant FSC standards, and many more.

All courses in New Delhi, India are available as per the calendar below:

• FSC Chain of Custody Expert Course, 30 Jan – 1 Feb  

• FSC Forest Management Expert Course, 4 – 8 Feb

To celebrate the new additions in South Asia, we offer a special discount of 30% for NGOs, FSC National Initiatives, and university/college staff/students. Discount applies to our standard prices only.