In March, the EIA and Telapak released the report accusing Vietnamese timber firms of relying heavily on supplies of illegal timber from neighboring Laos’ vanishing forests and using the ill-gotten timber to make hardwood furniture.

The claim has since met with strong opposition from Vietnamese furniture firms who say it will tarnish their image internationally and take a toll on their business earnings.

After a month consulting with several businesses blacklisted by the two international organizations, HAWA officially rejected the report last weekend.

Impractical claims

Speaking with Thanh Nien Daily, HAWA’s vice chairman Huynh Van Hanh said the accusation that at least 500,000 cubic meters of logs moved from Laos to Vietnam every year was groundless.

Hanh cited the official customs figures from 2007 which state Vietnam imported only 250,000 cubic meters of logs from Laos, most of which were used for construction projects, not outdoor furniture.

In addition, Vietnam last year imported around 445,000 cubic meters of eucalyptus and acacia timber from other countries to produce outdoor furniture, he said.

He added the report implied EU and US consumers were ultimately responsible for the illegal logging activities as virtually all the furniture made in Vietnam was exported.

Hanh said the claims in the report dismissed efforts by international certification agencies to enhance certification of the origin of the timber.

So far, 151 domestic furniture firms had been granted certificates acknowledging the legitimate origin of the timber they used, by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organization based in Germany that promotes the sustainable management of the world’s forest, he said.

That put Vietnam at the top of the rankings in Southeast Asia, surpassing Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with respect to the number of furniture firms granted the certificate, he said.

In a bid to improve Vietnam’s credibility, he said HAWA would encourage its members to participate in the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Council, a nongovernmental organization providing an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.

Vietnam is also working with other ASEAN countries to develop regional legal guidelines for planting, exploiting and preserving forests that are also compatible with the thriving lumber sector.

“The development of the Vietnam furniture industry can not be linked with the illegal timber sourced from the region. This development stems from the continuing efforts of the government and businesses,” Hanh said.

But he admitted international orders for domestic furniture firms had decreased from the same period last year.

He assured, though, that the slowdown was not a result of the allegations.

Instead, he cited the economic slump in some of Vietnam’s major furniture export markets such as the US and Japan as the cause.

Hanh predicted that the industry would recover soon with the US government taking action to reverse an economic slowdown.

But HAWA also said it was planning no lawsuits against EIA and Telapak.

Reported by Minh Quang