International news: ALPI becomes a member of the TROPICAL FOREST TRUST

Since March 2007, the ALPI Group and the TFT (Tropical Forest Trust) have established an important cooperation aimed at pursuing excellence in the sustainable management of ALPI’s forest concessions. This has involved an intense programme of technical, management and social actions implemented at all Group production sites in Cameroon.

Scott Poynton, TFT’s Executive Director, feels that “ALPI has shown significant commitment over our 2-year cooperation focussing on specific issues, and deserves to be a TFT member. TFT membership is not automatic: it is only granted to companies that demonstrate real commitment to sustainable forest management”. On the other hand, Vittorio ALPI insists that “cooperation on the field between TFT’s and ALPI’s teams has been successful thanks to good mutual understanding, information sharing and a common sense of action. Now that the whole company is working to obtain FSC certification, we believe that strengthening our relationship with the TFT through membership is a wise, logical choice”.

By becoming member of the TFT, ALPI enhances its commitment to excellence in sustainable forest management and its determination to achieve rapid progress relying on strong technical support.

Alpi is a major international industrial group operating in the timber sector, with over 50% of its production being based outside its native Italy. With 7 enterprises, 6 companies, 11 productive plants and 2,400 employees (of which 1,800 in its African plants) Alpi has become leader in its sector thanks to its sound global vision, made possible by its effort to control the entire productive process, from access to raw materials through to the distribution of high added value wood products. In this respect, its concessions in the African tropical forests (over 425 thousand hectares in Cameroon alone) are absolutely strategic. Respect for the environment and responsible forest management are at the heart of the group’s natural resources policy.

Established in 1999, the TFT is a non-profit international organisation seeking to transform the international trade in tropical timber and timber products into a system committed to forest conservation. TFT provides its members with comprehensive information about the origins of their tropical wood products, while TFT’s Wood Control Systems allow traceability of wood from the forest to the factory and through every stage of manufacture. Furthermore, TFT helps forest managers improve their operations and obtain FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification.

TFT members are based in Europe, North America, South East Asia and New Zealand. They include over 60 companies – from multi-national distribution giants to small ‘high street' retailers –, all of them committed to purchasing only legally harvested timber. TFT is supported by membership fees, grants from foundations and individual donations. It has established partnerships with governments, timber companies and international organisations to increase the number of FSC-certified forests worldwide.