ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — Indonesia has taken a major step to strengthen its position in the global sustainable forestry industry after the Ministry of Forestry and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) signed a landmark agreement to enhance forest governance, streamline certification, and expand international market access for Indonesian forest products.
The strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on June 30, comes at a time when global demand for responsibly sourced timber and other forest products is accelerating, driven by stricter environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, corporate sustainability commitments, and increasingly rigorous due diligence requirements across international supply chains.
The agreement establishes closer cooperation between Indonesia’s Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK) and the internationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification framework. By strengthening synergies between the two systems, Indonesia aims to simplify certification procedures, improve operational efficiency, reinforce forest governance, and enhance the global competitiveness of its forest products.
The MoU was signed by Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry Laksmi Wijayanti and FSC International Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee, with representatives from government agencies, industry associations, certification bodies, civil society organizations, and international stakeholders attending the signing ceremony.
A cornerstone of the partnership is the development of joint SVLK–FSC audits, enabling multiple certification requirements to be assessed through a single audit process. The integrated mechanism is expected to reduce compliance costs, eliminate duplicated assessments, save time and resources, while preserving the integrity and credibility of both certification systems.
The cooperation also covers sustainable forest management, capacity building, promotion of responsible forestry practices, market intelligence and information exchange, expansion of international market access, and alignment of certification frameworks with Indonesia’s Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 strategy to support national climate objectives.
According to the Ministry of Forestry, global demand for wood products is projected to increase by more than 40% by 2050 compared with 2020 levels, making credible sustainability standards increasingly important for countries seeking to remain competitive in international markets while protecting forest ecosystems.
Laksmi Wijayanti said the partnership reflects Indonesia’s commitment to ensuring that its forest resources are managed responsibly while strengthening collaboration between national and international sustainability standards.
She said greater integration between SVLK and FSC is expected to increase confidence among global buyers, strengthen governance across the forestry sector, and create higher value for sustainable forest managers and businesses throughout Indonesia.
Subhra Bhattacharjee said Indonesia occupies a strategically important position in global forestry because of its vast tropical forests, plantation forests, community-managed forests, and significant contribution to international forest product supply chains.
He said the partnership demonstrates FSC’s commitment to supporting responsible forest management in Indonesia while simplifying certification processes and helping Indonesian producers respond to growing international demand for sustainably sourced forest products.
The agreement is expected to generate benefits across the forestry value chain, including for forest managers, timber processors, exporters, importers, certification bodies, and forest-dependent communities.
As sustainability standards become increasingly influential in global purchasing decisions, stronger alignment between SVLK and FSC is expected to improve Indonesia’s export competitiveness and reinforce its position as a reliable supplier of responsibly sourced forest products.
Following the signing, officials from the Ministry of Forestry and FSC will visit Katingan Regency, Central Kalimantan, to observe FSC-certified rattan management by the Katingan Rattan Farmers Association (P2RK). The visit will demonstrate how sustainable management of non-timber forest products can create economic opportunities for local communities while supporting long-term forest conservation.
The landmark partnership underscores Indonesia’s broader ambition to strengthen sustainable forest governance, advance climate action, expand green trade opportunities, and reinforce its role as one of the world’s leading suppliers of sustainably produced forest products in an increasingly ESG-driven global economy. (Midwan)
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