08.07.2022. Just as 2022 marks INTERHOLCO’s 60th anniversary, the company launches its latest Sustainability Report. ‘Our wood products are the fruit of a people alliance,’ says Ulrich Grauert, INTERHOLCO CEO. ‘With this publication, we want even people sitting miles away from where we harvest and process our wood to see what our ‘Made in Africa’ stands for.’
Food, water, rain, animal life, plants, health, leisure and also employment – all depend on forests. For Indigenous Peoples, forests are not just where they live, but who they are. Climate change and carbon emissions originating from distant countries pose a daunting threat. Of the world’s three major tropical forests, only the Congo Basin is still sufficiently healthy to remain a strong, net carbon sink. With a rising population and consumption patterns, are there enough forests for all? For how much longer?
INTERHOLCO’s Sustainability report 2022 accounts for one 11,600 km2 forest, in the North of the Republic of the Congo. The state-owned forest that the company manages lies adjacent to two national parks, protected by the state. Together, they cover a large forest stretch, roughly the same size as Belgium.
‘Transparency is essential to show with whom we collaborate, whose expertise we seek and count on to best meet expectations and concerns,’ argues Mr. Grauert. ‘At the same time, our values and standards we adopt aim to empower consumers to choose deforestation-free wood products that also respect people and planet.’
INTERHOLCO’s report is in accordance with the GRI Standards from 2016 (Core option) and meets the 179 ESG transparency indicators of the SPOTT 2022 timber and pulp assessment. Also, it is aligned with the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact as well as with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
INTERHOLCO’s best kept secret? Sustainability grows on trees.
‘Our wood products are the low-hanging fruit,’ affirms Mr. Grauert. He goes on to say: ‘Just as wood is a living material, we should not forget that every inch of our products is brimming with life: the life of Congo’s tropical forests, with the hopes and dreams of their inhabitants.’
Discover INTERHOLCO’s Sustainability Report 2022:
INTERHOLCO offers Sustainable Hardwood 'Made in Africa' as a responsible solution to promote better living conditions (construction with wood), reduce climate change, and increase social justice. As FSC-certified producer specialized in producing and trading logs, sawn timber, glued laminated scantlings and other products, INTERHOLCO manages the entire chain, from forest to customers since 1962. Harvesting wood selectively, INTERHOLCO protects 1.1 million hectares of natural forest from permanent conversion to agricultural land, giving 16’000 local inhabitants access to quality basic services and keeping the habitat of thousands of gorillas and elephants.
Communications contact INTERHOLCO
Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal
INTERHOLCO AG, Neuhofstr. 25, 6340 Baar, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (0)41 767 03 82
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