Rubber producers have more deals after FSC certification
By Thai Hang - The Saigon Times Daily
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| A representative of Dau Tieng 2 Rubber Company signs a memorandum of understanding on rubber and wood supply with partners - Photo: Pham Thai |
HCMC – Dong Nai Rubber Corporation and Dau Tieng 2 Rubber Company are the first two units of Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) to be issued Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificates by The Netherlands-based Control Union.
After acquiring the certification, the two rubber producers have signed memorandums of understanding on rubber and wood supply with a number of partners.
Since 2007, VRG has studied the art of creating green products in an effort to increase its product value and apply advanced technology to rubber cultivation, said Le Minh Chau, deputy general director of the group.
After outlining a model for sustainable management of rubber farming in line with the FSC principles and criteria, VRG has applied it to 11,700 hectares of rubber in four plantations and two processing plants of Dong Nai Rubber Corporation and Dau Tieng 2 Rubber Co.
Vietnam is now the world’s third rubber producer awarded with the certification for its latex and the fifth country to receive the honor for its rubber plantations.
Every year, VRG supplies local woodwork processors with 35,000-40,000 cubic meters of rubber wood.
Materials and products will now have labels to help consumers recognize that they are from responsibly-managed forests.
“Any firm that holds the FSC certificate will have more room to penetrate choosy markets such as EU and the U.S thanks to clear material origin. We will assess the result of the pilot program before expanding the model to all rubber forests that we manage,” said Chau.
VRG was established in 2006 and as of 2011, the group had 100 business units nationwide. Up to 18 and eight companies under its umbrella have set up business in Cambodia and Laos respectively, with 32 rubber forest and processing plant projects.
Apart from the rubber industry, VRG is also engaged in timber production and woodwork processing. It is targeting to plant 50,000 hectares of rubber and produce 50,000 cubic meters of rubber wood between now and 2020.