Verified legal teak furniture from Indonesia hits the market
“When most of the industry shifted away from Indonesia in the late 1990s,” says Rene De Kok, ScanCom International’s commercial director, “we continued to build our presence there, investing in Indonesia’s future.
We are very proud to be recognized by the Rainforest Alliance for our achievements.”
De Kok is referring to the Verification of Legal Origin (VLO) statement which Scancom Indonesia recently obtained from the Rainforest Alliance. The verification allows the company to use Rainforest Alliance VerifiedTM mark for promotional purposes.
The verification covers 34 of Scancom’s processing sites in Indonesia, and confirms that the company is sourcing teak wood from suppliers who have a documented legal right to harvest.
Hard work expected to bring rewards
ScanCom has been working since 2008 to improve its sourcing systems and prepare for the verification, investing considerable time and resources in the process.
The verification is the most complex of any legality verification that has been carried out to date by the Rainforest Alliance.
However, the company believes that verification is a necessity and that its benefits outweigh the costs.
“The demand for legal and sustainably verified products is increasing rapidly, and we have to be sensitive to what the market wants. If we are not proactive in responding to these types of changes, we will lose our competitiveness,” says Charlotte Korn, PT ScanCom Indonesia’s managing director.
The VLO assessment was carried out by two Indonesian auditors, whose local expertise proved extremely helpful for this complex assessment.
Seeding market adaptation
But ScanCom’s achievement goes beyond its own verification statement. It also helps to kick-start a much-needed adaptation of the Indonesian forestry sector to the growing focus on legality. This will help Indonesian companies to maintain or expand their access to the global market.
“A company the size of ScanCom has considerable influence on local suppliers, and its practices are norm-setting”, says Manager of the Rainforest Alliance’s legality verification program Christian Sloth.
“We saw that in Vietnam, where ScanCom’s operations were among the first to achieve FSC certification. Today, FSC CoC certification has become the industry standard in that country”.
Currently, there are very few sources of legally verified or FSC-certified teak in Indonesia. But that may soon change. Christian Sloth: “I’m sure that ScanCom’s presence and influence in Indonesia will help to incite the Indonesian companies to adapt to the emerging global market for verified legal wood products".
ScanCom – driver of change in the furniture industry
PT ScanCom Indonesia is the Indonesian branch of ScanCom International A/S, one of the world's largest manufacturers and wholesalers of outdoor furniture. Headquartered in Korsør, Denmark, ScanCom International A/S has branches around the globe, including in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Brazil, the US, Germany and the UK. Its major business partners include leaders in the furniture industry.
ScanCom is well-known for its commitment to responsible wood sourcing. Though the Indonesia verification was the first of its kind for the furniture company, six of ScanCom International’s subsidiaries have already received Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance.
“We have invested in improving our supply chains and moving our wood sourcing towards more legal and, where possible, sustainable sources of wood.
We intend to continue this work in the future, making further investments towards these goals in the near and long term,” says De Kok.
“Doing the right thing is not only something to be proud of but it’s also good business, as more and more retailers around the world are demanding social and environmental accountability.”
The Rainforest Alliance considers legality verification a first step towards FSC certification; verification should not be a final destination, but a milestone on the path towards more sustainably managed forest resources. ScanCom has been active in FSC certification for a number of years and remains committed to both verification and certification.
About PT ScanCom Indonesia
Located in Semarang, Central Java, PT ScanCom Indonesia exclusively produces teak garden furniture for its parent company, ScanCom International A/S. Since 1999, PT ScanCom Indonesia has been working in cooperation with the local wood industry of Jepara, in Central Java, where most of its suppliers are located.
Source: Rainforest Alliance
Pictures from the audit © Chisato Tomimura, who works with the Rainforest Alliance in Indonesia and joined the VLO verification of Scancom as a trainee.
