The times they are a-changing

W hen I joined TTJ 16 years ago the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) was, if not in its infancy, then in its ‘toddlerhood’.

But despite being an initiative set up by the most famous and well-respected conservation organisation in the world – the WWF – it would have been inconceivable that we would have dedicated two pages to its anniversary. Even if it did give us an excuse to include a picture of an orangutan.

How things have changed – and I don’t just mean the grey hair and the extra pounds. The invaluable work of the GFTN has become embedded in the timber business culture. In the UK for example, scheme members include B&Q, Travis Perkins, Magnet, Saint-Gobain Distribution and Danzer Group. They don’t come much more mainstream than that.

What’s so special about it is that, instead of standing on the sidelines and preaching the gospel of ‘thou shalt not cut down trees’, which some of the more radical conservationist groups do, it recognises that the forestry and forest products industry can bring many benefits – if it’s responsible and plays its sustainability cards right, that is.

It can, for example, play a key role in bringing communities in developing worlds out of poverty. And – back to the orangutans for a moment – it can also focus the minds of forest custodians on protecting endangered wildlife within their concessions.

Of course, the GFTN has its detractors and in the previous issue we published a news story following a claim by Global Witness that some GFTN members, including logging companies, International Timber traders and merchants were failing to meet the programme’s responsible timber sourcing requirements.

I guess it’s a measure of the WWF that, while it doesn’t accept the claims, it has swung into action, bringing forward an already scheduled independent third party review of the GFTN’s activities.

And it shouldn’t be forgotten that the GFTN has a step-wise approach to responsible purchasing of forest products.

“Of course, some GFTN partners have a way to go on their journey to sustainability,”?said George White, GFTN head. “But these are precisely the companies that should be in GFTN and we applaud their commitments to improving their environmental performance.”

Speaking of applauding, by the time this issue hits your doormat the 2011 TTJ Awards will have been presented. The results are on page 5 and our usual pictorial coverage of the event will appear in the following issue.

So, along with wishing WWF GFTN a very happy 20th birthday, I’d like to congratulate all this year’s TTJ Award winners and shortlisted companies. And I’d also like to thank all those companies and individuals who entered and made this competition so fiercely contested.