Video: How a Piece of Paper changed lives: Timber legality creates sustainability of forests and livelihood

Illegal logging is one of the leading causes of deforestation in Indonesia. Under the framework of the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) voluntary partnership agreement, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia established a national timber legality assurance system (Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu, SVLK) to promote sustainability in the legal timber trade. As part of this, all timber exports from Indonesia must be accompanied by V-Legal Documents attesting to their legality.

Recognizing the value of timber legality certification, Slamet Setiono joined a technical assistance program with Asmindo, along with a group of six other small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Klaten. The training guided participants through SVLK requirements for all aspects of production, from raw materials to processing, trading, labour safety and well-being. After completing the training and securing the SVLK certificate in 2019, Slamet was able to export to international markets with all the necessary V-Legal documents. Since then, Slamet’s furniture business has been unstoppable.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njSfat7JAQQ