HÀ NỘI — The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has held its first ever Asia Pacific Business Forum in Hà Nội to provide an exclusive occasion for FSC certified forest product suppliers in the region to connect with local and international buyers.

The event, which took place on Wednesday, also aimed to promote forest suppliers’ FSC labelled products available in domestic, regional and world markets.

The demand for sourcing forestry products responsibly from the region has increased exponentially, with Việt Nam as a primary source, a press release from the FSC said.

Over the last five years, the Asia-Pacific region has seen its Chain of Custody certificates for FSC certified timber products increase by 82 per cent.

The forum focused on four key areas representing the core and upcoming forestry product industries in the region -- pulp, paper and packaging; furniture and solid wood; rubber; and lastly FSC as a market tool for procurement.

Participants at the forum were representatives from the Việt Nam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and many international ang domestic companies.

The FSC is a global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests.

It was created in 1993 to help consumers and businesses identify products from the well-managed forests and sets standards by which forests are certified, offering credible verification to people who are buying wood and wood products.

Currently, 195 million hectares and more than 57,000 businesses worldwide are certified according to FSC standards. — VNS