TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - The number of micro, small and medium enterprises selling export-oriented furniture with the Wood Legality Verification System (SVLK) has been low due to inconsistency of the regulation.
Suryanto Sadiyo, deputy director of non-governmental organization Java Learning Center (Javlec Indonesia) that focuses on saving forests in Java, said that only 25 out of 125 furniture-based association members have owned the SVLK certification.
“They [other members] don’t want to be bothered with the SVLK system,” Suryanto said in a training held at Hotel Jayakarta on Friday, July 22, 2016.
According to Suryanto, most of the small and medium enterprises prefer to borrow the SVLK certification because they are not willing to go through the complicated SVLK application. In addition, Suryanto revealed that the cost of applying for the SVLK is not cheap.
Suryanto explained that not all furniture-based businesses understand about the timber legality system. Suryanto added, that constant changes made in the regulation on the SVLK had confused business owners when applying for a certificate.
Hayu Wibaya, manager of system development at the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute (IEI) said that the SVLK policy had been revised three times in 2009, 2014 and 2015, resulting in constantly changing standards.
Hayu said that the SVLK is aimed at promoting sustainable forests and environmentally-friendly timber products, as well as addressing illegal logging.
“Unfortunately, not all people are aware of the SVLK due to lack of dissemination,” he added.
Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Industry Association chairman Timbul Raharjo called the revisions made in regulations on the SVLK as troublesome. Timbul added that the government has not provided subsidy for small and medium enterprises to apply for the SVLK certification.
SHINTA MAHARANI
