Many micro, small and medium enterprises in Indonesia, which are selling export-oriented furniture, haven’t received the Wood Legality Verification System (SVLK) due to the inconsistency of the regulation.
Only 25 furniture-based association members, out of 125, have obtained the SVLK certification, said Suryanto Sadiyo, deputy director of non-governmental organization Java Learning Center (Javlec Indonesia), which handles the projects for saving the forests in Java.
Many of the small and medium enterprises prefer to borrow the SVLK certification because they are not willing to go through the complicated SVLK application. Also, the costs of applying for SVLK are very high, according to Tempo.Co.
During a training held on Friday, July 22, in Jakarta, Suryanto added that not all the business in the furniture industry in Indonesia know about the implications of the legality system. Many of the changes made in the regulation on the SVLK have confused a lot of business owners when they tried to apply for the certification.
The SVLK policy had been revised three times in 2009, 2014 and 2015, resulting in constantly changing standards. The SVLK is aimed at promoting sustainable forests and environmentally-friendly timber products, as well as addressing illegal logging, said Hayu Wibaya, manager of system development at the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute (IEI), according to Tempo.Co.
The Indonesian government still hasn’t provided subsidies for small and medium enterprises to apply for the SVLK certification.
