The world wood market will continue to grow along with the increase in the number of human populations. Lightwood, such as Sengon and Jabon are in demand on the international market as raw materials for construction and furniture, whose needs will increase in the future. Seeing this extraordinary market opportunity, the Indonesian Lightwood Association (ILWA), which consists of hundreds of wood manufacturing companies in Indonesia, together with all stakeholders will push for global supply chain control by conducting large-scale plantings that are digitally and accurately recorded.
On 25th January, 2022, the Indonesian Lightwood Association (ILWA), conducted a national meeting together with all stakeholders. Fairventures represented by Mr. Charles Tanaka was also present at the meeting. The event was conducted in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. The main purpose of this meeting was to plan the next step for ILWA and its collaboration with several partners such as PPAD (Perkumpulan Purnawirawan Angkatan Darat), IPD (Import Promotion Desk), SIPPO (Swiss Import Promotion Program), and Fairventures in order to develop the lightwood industry in Indonesia. One avenue of collaboration is integrating the technology and research aspect to support the industry in the sustainability of material supply and environment.
Some of the points raised at the meeting were:
- The Indonesian Lightwood Association (ILWA) will establish a cooperative as their legal body to do business. The cooperative will bridge the relationship between the farmers/material suppliers and the factory to ensure there is price stability in the market. The cooperative will work through the value chain to ensure the sustainability of the products from the material to the market.
- Integration of ILWA activities with Social Forestry Permits as a way to produce a sustainable material supply in local communities. This will meet the certification requirements to maintain a sustainable economical, social and ecological aspect.
- Inform the Ministry of Forestry regarding the problem in the lightwood industry. There is a lack of sustainable supply.
In the meeting, Fairventures’ representative, Mr. Charles Tanaka, also pointed out the market trends including the focus on the producers and locals (national customers, such as project developers and construction companies) to create awareness of lightwood as a sustainable building material. He also introduced the 100 Million Trees, a program of tree planting implemented by Fairventures Worldwide in Central Kalimantan where local communities plant fast-growing timber species to improve their livelihoods and use it as an alternative source of wood to logging in the primary rainforest.
