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Published: Wednesday November 18, 2009 MYT 12:31:00 PM

Timber loses mart share due to time wasted on sustainability issues


THE HAGUE: Too much time and energy wasted on the sustainability issue had caused timber to lose its market share to other competing building materials such as aluminium and PVC, a top Dutch official said Tuesday.

Andre de Boer, who is Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Netherlands Timber Trade Association and Secretary-General of the European Timber Trade Federation said importers will now work towards getting back the demand for timber.

"If we reach a level on sustainability, discussions should stop and concentrate on promoting timber," he told a roundtable meeting between Dutch timber importers and visiting Malaysian officials led by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok held at the Malaysian Embassy here.

He said there was no other building material that had both the attributes of being renewable and carbon neutral as timber.

This year, he said, the Dutch timber market saw a 25 per cent drop in turnover with a 20 to 25 per cent reduction in staff employed by the industry from last year.

The roundtable also deliberated on next year, expected to be a difficult year, as 75 per cent of the members' turnover is based on new buildings and houses though the renovation market will be quite stable.

They said it would be difficult to know what the market would be asking for next year whether timber from the North or certified timber from sustainable forests.

Despite the decline in demand for timber, de Boer said the market share for certified timber has grown showing and there is a future for such products.

"By December, we will hand over our agreement to use as much as possible sustainable timber in our products.

"We ask other organisations which use timber to join us. We try to look for as much cooperation as possible from the markets," he said.

de Boer said the market share for sustainable timber is expected to increase to 50 per cent by 2015.

Malaysian officials who participated in the roundtable include Malaysian Timber Council chief executive officer Cheah Kam Huan and Malaysian Timber Certification Council chief executive officer Chew Lye Teng.

The Dutch representation include Mathee van de Vin, chairman of The Netherlands Joinery Association Tom Trooster, the owner of Timber Trade Connections. - Bernama


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