Betterwood at Yale University

At the conference “Tropical Forests in a Connected World: Collaborative Solutions for a Sustainable Future” at the renowned Yale University in Connecticut (USA), Betterwood was invited to present the perspective of European consumers for the first time.

Each year the event is organized by “The Yale Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters” organized. Guests and scientists discuss and exchange views on sustainability and forestry.

Christian Körting (Managing Partner) represented our company at the conference with his presentation “Sustainable Timber Trade in Germany”. Betterwood is an example of how sustainability can be promoted in the forestry and timber industry and pay off economically.

It was an interesting exchange because we presented the European end customer and commercial customer perspective for the first time. The scientists, WWF, Rainforest Alliance, The Forest Dialogue, CIFOR and certifiers such as SGS were therefore very interested in how German end customers and tradespeople react to the offer of wood from sustainable forestry.

The power of the consumer

It became clear time and again that raising awareness of the problems in the tropical rainforests increases the demand for wood from sustainable forestry. The forest will only survive if the indigenous population can earn a living from the rainforest in a way that conserves resources. Otherwise it will be completely cleared for short-term profit.

What remains is farmland that is no longer fertile after a few years, areas for livestock farming or palm oil plantations – where once stood the rainforest that is vital for our climate. The customer therefore also has the power to change the market in the timber industry. Without the demand from end customers for sustainable products, it would hardly be possible for local NGOs and governments to preserve the forest as an ecosystem.

In his presentation, Christian Körting also emphasized how important partnerships with organizations such as the FSC, the STTC, the GFTN of the WWF and the GD Holz association are for Betterwood: Cooperation helps to publicize and strengthen sustainability in the timber business.

Innovation award for Prey Lang

The 2017 Innovation Award of the Yale School of Forest and Environmental Studies went to the initiative “Prey Lang – It’s our forest too”. They are committed to preserving the forest in Cambodia – and are fighting for it with creative means. For example, with a cell phone app. However, the initiative has so far received little support from other government NGOs and the campaign for the forest is taking place under life-threatening circumstances. The initiative has been under threat for years and there have already been deaths.

We are all the more delighted that Prey Lang has received the award this year and is thus encouraging other people to preserve the forest ecosystem for humanity.