The Efforts to Promote Use ofWood and the Trend of Procurementof Legal Wood in Japan
November 30, 2011
The 3rd Japan-China Wood and Wood Products
Trade Review Conference
Masahiko Kato
Information Division Manager
Japan Federation of Wood Industry Associations

Japan Federation ofWood Industry Associations






Overview of membership：
47 Prefectural Federations of Wood Industry Associations, 17 industry-classifiedassociations (terminal members include about 30,000 companies in wood andwood products manufacturing and distribution industries), and 31 supporting
members.
Establishment:
Established in 1954, and became an incorporated body in 1956.
Purpose of the Federation:
This is the only national wood-industry federation operating for the purpose ofensuring the healthy development of the wood industry, covering the woodbusiness community. The results based on the activities of the Federation serve
the development of not only our members, but also more widely the woodindustry as a whole, eventually contributing to the economic and socialdevelopment of our country.
Main business:(1) Collection, exchange and adjustment of requests, views and information(2) Proposals, petitions and recommendations(3) Survey researches(4) Dissemination, publicity, etc.

Order of Presentation
Introduction
 The background and outline of wood
legality certification in Japan The structure and approach of theForestry Agency Guideline A new development of legal wood
demand in recent yearsOrder of Presentation -1Introduction
 The background and outline of wood
legality certification in Japan The structure and approach of theForestry Agency Guideline A new development of legal wood
demand in recent years
Act for Promotion of Use of Woodin Public Buildings etc.
Act for Promotion of Use of Wood in Public Buildingsetc. was enforced in October 2010.
 Public buildings include:i) Schoolsii) Nursing homes for senior citizens, childcare centers, welfare
homes or any other similar social welfare facilitiesiii) Hospitals or clinicsiv) Gymnasiums, swimming areas or any other similar athleticfacilitiesv) Libraries, Seinen-no-ie (training and accommodation institution
for young people), or any other similar social educational facilities
Vi) Buildings comprising stations for vehicles or depots for ships or
airplanes, and serving for the purpose of passengers’ embarkation,
disembarkation or waitingVii) Resting places to serve for the convenience of expressway
drivers or users

Act for Promotion of Use of Wood in
Public Buildings etc.
Considering that the promotion of the use of wood willcontribute to the prevention of global warming, the formationof a recycling society, the realization of forests’ multifaceted
functions, such as conservation of land, watershed
conservation and others, and the economic revitalization ofmountain villages and other areas (cited from Article 1:Purpose).
The purpose is not to support the wood industry, but totackle environmental issues.
In order to promote the use of wood, it is necessary to stop
wood use from placing a burden on the environment → totackle illegal logging issues.

What Is Illegal Logging?
Illegal logging：Generally, logging conducted out incontravention of the law in each country.

Estimated figures on illegal harvest(OECD: Economics on illegal logging and timber trading)Cambodia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Myanmar90%
Max. 66％
Max. 33%
80 %Global Witness 1999年
World Bank 2006a Schroeder-Wildbergand Carius 2003
Dudley, Jeanrenaud and Sullivan 1995
Brunner and other countries1998年

Japan’s Efforts to Tackle
Illegal Logging Problems

Based on the agreement at the Gleneagles Summit (2005), partof the program under the Green Purchasing Act was revised (in2006).
For the wood and wood products to be procured by the government etc., “itis desirable that their legality etc. has been certified and their sustainability
has been taken into consideration.”

In response to the revision, the Forestry Agency devised out a“Guideline for the certification of legality and sustainability ofwood and wood products” to certify the legality etc. of wood andwood products.
Also, wood-related associations in the private sector started
activities to eliminate illegally logged wood and positively use
legal wood, based on the Guideline.
The point is that legality certification is equally required for any wood fromany country, not only from Japan.

Japan’s Green Purchasing Act-1
”The Act on the promotion etc. of theprocurement of eco-friendly goods etc.
by the State etc.”

In purchasing goods, an organization of the State etc. isobligated to positively procure such eco-friendly goods etc.
that reduce environmental burdens.
Local governments etc., such as prefectures andmunicipalities, are obligated to make such efforts
Business operators and the general public are generally
obligated to “select eco-friendly goods as far as possible.”Japan’s Green Purchasing Act-2


The Green Purchasing Act was enacted in
2000, but, as mentioned earlier, part of theprogram under this Act was revised in 2006.


As a result, wood and wood products whose
legality and sustainability are certified areincluded in eco-friendly goods.

Wood-related items designated in the GreenPurchasing Act:Paper, stationery, office furniture, materials for
public works (such as sawn wood, plywood,laminated wood, laminated veneer lumber andflooring), etc.）

The Order of Presentation-2Introduction
 The background and outline of wood
legality certification in Japan The structure and approach of theForestry Agency Guideline A new development of legal wood
demand in recent years

The Forestry Agency Guideline

Wood and wood products conforming to the Green Purchasing
Act shall be produced or traded in compliance with the“Guideline for the certification of the legality and sustainability ofwood and wood products” established by the Forestry Agency.
Legality: “In logging, procedures shall have been performed
properly in the light of the laws and regulations relating toforests in the country or region where raw wood (logs) isproduced.”
As for the method of certifying legality and sustainability, thefollowing three methods are specified:i) Method of certification utilizing the forest certification scheme and Chainof Custody (CoC) certification schemeii) Method of certification by business operators under the authorization ofrelated associationsiii) Method of certification by individual companies etc. through their ownapproaches

Certificates

Application

Authorization

Certificates

Logging
certificates, etc.

Application

Forestowners

Forestry
cooperatives,material
producers

Authorization

Chain of legal woodcertificates fromforest owners
through wood
producers anddistributors
 CoC, a mechanismof ensuring reliabilityof certificates Authorization byindustry associations
Wood
distribution,
lumbersawing,processing
and productdistribution
relatedpersons

Consumers, private and public employees

Method of Certification by Business Operators
under the Authorization of the Related
Associations

Efforts by industry associations:
1) Declared their opposition to illegal logging
2) Determined on and published the business operator authorization
procedures for the certification of legality
3) Authorized and published their members as “legal wood supply businessoperators”
4) Published the outline of each association’s efforts to tackle illegal logging

Associations authorizing legal wood supply
business operators in Japan (As of end of March 2011)
Category of associations

Number of authorizingassociations

Number of authorizedbusiness operators

1. Central authorizing
associations

221,380

2 . Prefectural Federation ofWood-industry Associations

474,775

District Federation of Woodindustry Associations

15722

3. Number of authorizing
associations

41798

4. Number of authorizedbusiness operators

15439

140

8,114

Total

The Present State of Certificates
Certifying Legality-1
For any wood to be imported to Japan, thestarting point is whether or not the legal
procedures for logging have been
performed properly.
 Export permit alone is not enough to certify
legality.
 So, business operators in each country
have to issue documents certifying legality
using the method specified in the Forestry
Agency Guideline.
The Present State of Certificates
Certifying Legality -2


Use of forest certification and CoC certification

Use of international forest certification
systems such as FSC and PEFC
 Useof regional and national forest
certification systems
SGEC (Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council),a forest certification system in Japan MTCC (Malaysian Timber Certification Council)
in Malaysia
 LEI(Lembaga Ekolabel Indonesia), etc. inIndonesia
 China’s forest certification systemThe Present State of Certificates Certifying
Legality-3
Certificates issued by business operators under theauthorization of the related associationsAs authorization associations, these associations authorize theirmember business operators to issue certificates of legality


Russian Far East Timber Exporters Association (DalexportlesAssociation) in Russia
Quebec Wood Export Bureau (QWEB) in Canada
American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) in the United States

The document that an association member authorized by theassociation (authorized business operator) issues with its
authorization number at each shipment is a document certifyinglegality

As for wood from China, part of it is are currently certified by thecertificates issued by the Forest-products Identification
Promotion Conference (FIPC), an authorization association inJapan

Order of presentation-3Introduction
 The background and outline of wood
legality certification in Japan The structure and approach of theForestry Agency Guideline A new development of legal wood
demand in recent years
The Enactment of the “Act on the Promotion ofthe Use of Wood in Public Buildings etc.” andLegal Wood
1.

2.

The “Act on the Promotion of the Use of Wood in Public Buildingsetc.” was enacted in May, 2010, and the matters regarding legal
wood (Goho wood) are specified in the “Basic Policy” prepared by
the government.
Related part of the “Basic Policy on the Promotion of the Use ofWood in Public Buildings.”
1.
Basic direction of the promotion of the use of wood in publicbuildings
4.


Compatibility between wood supply/use and proper forest maintenanceFor that purpose, people engaged in forestry, wood manufacturers andother related parties shall, while cooperating in related measures taken by
the national or local governments, ensure logging and proper forest
management practices, such as reforestation etc. after logging inaccordance with forest planning etc. under the Forest Act, and ensuresmooth supply of timber from forest thinning and wood etc. whose legalityetc. is certified.
Furthermore, those who are engaged in the maintenance of publicbuildings shall, in using wood in the buildings they maintain, endeavor to
select those falling under eco-friendly goods etc. specified in the Article 2,
Paragraph 1, of the Green Purchasing Act.

TOPICS 2

Wooden House Development Promotion Project in FY2011(Long-term Excellent House Dissemination PromotionProject)
Contribution to the realization of a lowcarbon society through the developmentof “wooden towns and wooden houses”

To promote the development of “Wooden houses○To subsidize part of the construction cost of large-scale woodenbuildings etc. incorporating pioneering design and construction
technology<<Subsidy requirements>>○Image of thosesatisfying subsidy
requirements

Incorporation of pioneering design andconstruction technology in terms of structureand fire protection

Photosynthesis

Subsidy will be
increased by 200,000
yen if legal wood is usedin more than half of thestructural materials (pillar,joist, beam andfoundation)

Buildings of a certain size or larger requiring
special measures under the standards
Publication of technologies etc. relating to thefacilities to be used by many people or thedesign and construction thereof

Use of wood hybrid structural members

To promote the development of “Wooden houses○To subsidize part of the construction cost of
wooden long-term excellent houses etc. using local materials forsmall- and medium-sized house manufacturers<<Subsidy requirements>>
Certification of awooden long-term
excellent house

Upgrading ofdesignated housing
history information

Opening construction
process to the public

Research anddissemination

Evaluation andoffice work

Strengthening oftechnology
infrastructure

Wooden building
Long-term
excellent house

Conclusion
Wood is a precious renewable material and is
expected to be a leading player in a low-carbon
society.
 It is important to resolve illegal logging problems andgive a signal of not placing a burden on theenvironment.
 The Japanese market is rapidly oriented toward legalwood.
 It is important to tackle illegal logging by thecooperation between the world’s largest forest
product importing country, China and the fourthlargest, Japan.
Memorandum on Tackling Illegal Logging
Signed between Japan and China
On August 19, 2011, the “Memorandum on cooperation to tackle
illegal logging and related trade and support sustainable forestry
management between the Government of Japan and the Governmentof the People’s Republic of China” was signed by Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Kano and Foreign Minister
Matsumoto on the Japanese side and Director of the State Forestry Jia(賈) on the Chinese side.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

To build a system of certifying the legality of wood and wood products to be logged,processed, distributed, and exported or imported in their own country and promote thetrade and use of legal wood and wood products
To assist wood producing countries in tackling illegal logging
To conduct information exchange and capacity building on related domestic laws,regulations and systems, international efforts, etc.
To encourage voluntary efforts including those from the supply and consumer sides, aswell as exchange on the private-sector level including associations, companies, etc.
To hold meetings to review the above-mentioned contents of cooperation and shareexperiences etc.

Thank you very much !