Worldwide demand for legal and sustainable timber products is growing, leading to an increased opportunity to sell your products to more countries around the world. To gain access to international markets, you must meet the technical requirements for imported wood products of the destination countries.
For example, the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the European Union and the Indonesian government states that only legal wood products may be exported to Europe. In the United States, amendments to the Lacey Act require importers to self-declare that only legal timber is being imported. Many importers of wood products require Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification for each product that they import.
What is Legal Verification of Forest Product Certification?
The Legal Verification of Forest Products (Verifikasi Legalitas Hasil Hutan – VLHH), previously known as Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu/Timber Legality Assurance Standard (SVLK/TLAS) was developed by the government of Indonesia to support the eradication of illegal logging and promote good forest management. The legal verification of forest products certification enables you to guarantee the legality of the timber used in your products and is a requirement for selling wood products within Indonesia. Certification also enables you to meet the import requirements of destination countries and assure consumers that your wood raw material comes from legal sources.
The certification process:
The main regulations that apply to this certification are:
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree Number 8 Year 2021 regarding Forest Administration and Forest Management Plans and Forest Utilization in Protected Forests and Production Forests
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree Number SK 9895/Men/BPPHH/HPL.3/12/2022 Year 2022 regarding Standards and Guidelines for the Implementation of the Legality and Sustainability Verification System
Benefits Of Certification
VLHH certification will allow you to:
- Comply with the Indonesian government’s regulations regarding the legality of timber
- Meet import requirements of countries that require assurance of timber legality
- Gain access to new markets
- Meet consumer demands for sustainably sourced wood products
Why choose SGS?
We are a leading provider of certification services worldwide and in Indonesia. In addition to VLHH certification, we offer auditing and training services, to help you meet the requirements of the standard. We are accredited by the National Accreditation Committee (KAN) for appraisal and independent verification (LP-VI).
Contact us today to learn more about our VLHH certification services.
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Cilandak Commercial Estate, 12560,
South Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia