Alves Sobrinho's job description includes making sure that the dock gets built in timely fashion. That way Gethal maintains its certification. The dock represents just one of 74 specific conditions with compliance deadlines ranging from one to 36 months. During the busy run up to the rainy season, when the weather forced operations to halt for months, forestry manager Ricardo Ludke and a supervisor reserved an entire afternoon for a visit to a section of forest that will receive special remedial attention. But we're trying.
Gethal plywood is made from certified wood.
Even Gethal executives admit that the 7.5 percent premium they now receive for certified plywood will likely shrink and, eventually, disappear. Yet they swear that certification means good business. Even in Brazil, several state and local governments are considering legislation that would give certified wood priority in all public works projects. To protect a market, Gethal began studying certification in 1996. A European distributor had notified Gethal executives that a German client was threatening to take his business elsewhere unless the firm could supply him with certified plywood.