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The Malaysian Timber
Certification Scheme (MTCS) which
is operated by MTCC began operation
in October 2001 using a phased approach.
The standard initially used for
assessing FMUs for the purpose of
certification was the Malaysian
Criteria, Indicators, Activities
and Standards of Performance for
Forest Management Certification
[MC&I(2001)] which is
based on the 1998 ITTO Criteria
and Indicators for Sustainable Management
of Natural Tropical Forests.
Since the
beginning of the second phase of its
certification scheme by end of 2005, MTCC
has been using a new standard [MC&I
(2002)] which is developed
using the Principles and Criteria
of the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) as the template.
The standard for
chain-of-custody certification used
by MTCC is the Requirements for
Chain-of-Custody Certification (RCOC).
Overview
of MTCS
As the timber
certification body, MTCC receives
and processes applications for certification,
arranges for assessments to be carried
out by its registered independent
assessors, and decides on all such
applications, based on the report
of the assessors. The assessment
report for forest management certification
will be subject to a peer review
process by qualified individuals
who are registered with MTCC for
this purpose.
MTCC has established
a Certification Committee which
is responsible for considering assessment
reports submitted by independent
assessors on applicant FMUs and
timber product manufacturers/exporters.
Based on the recommendations of
the assessors, the Certification
Committee will make the decision
whether the applicant merits the
award of the MTCC certificate.
MTCC
Certificates
Certificate
for Forest Management
The Certificate
for Forest Management is issued
to confirm that the Permanent Reserved
Forests (PRFs) in the FMU have complied
with the requirements of the forest
management standard used in the
MTCS and the timber is harvested
legally. Holders of valid Certificates
for Forest Management may use
the MTCC logo off-product to provide
an assurance that their FMUs adhere
to good forest management practices
as required by the forest management
standard.
Certificate
for Chain-of-Custody
The Certificate
for Chain-of-Custody is issued
to confirm that the manufacturer
or exporter has complied with the
RCOC used in the MTCS.
Holders of valid Certificates
for Chain-of-Custody issued
by MTCC may use the MTCC logo, on-product
and off-product, to provide an assurance
to buyers that their timber products
are manufactured from MTCC-certified
sources of wood-based materials.
Details of the
FMUs and timber companies which
have been awarded certificates by
MTCC can be viewed under Certificate
Holders.
The MTCC certificates
are valid for a period of five years.
Certificate holders will be subject
to regular surveillance visits by
assessors during the period of validity
to ensure that they continue to
comply with the requirements of
the relevant standards.
Holders of the MTCC certificates
are subject to the terms and conditions
of the respective certificates and
are eligible to use the MTCC logo
in accordance with the MTCC Logo
Guide for Certificate Holders.
Details on these
are contained in the document entitled
Procedures
in MTCC Timber Certification Scheme.
Recognition of the MTCS
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The
Danish Ministry of the
Environment has included
the MTCS as one
of the accepted certification
schemes in its document
entitled Purchasing
Tropical Timber-Environmental
Guidelines, describing
the MTCC certificate
as providing a good
guarantee of legal forest
management, on its way
towards becoming sustainable
The
English translation
of the Guidelines can
be downloaded from www.skovognatur.dk
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The
report commissioned
by the Central Point
of Expertise on Timber
(CPET), an expert group
appointed by the Department
for Environment Food
& Rural Affairs
(DEFRA), United Kingdom,
has concluded that the
MTCC certificate provides
the assurance of legally
harvested timber.
The
first review by the
CPET in 2006
continues to accept
the MTCS. In
addition, CPET
recognises that all
MTCC-certified
timber products meet
the requirements for
legality where
previously only
products containing
100% certified raw
materials are
recognised.
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The Royal Horticultural Society
(RHS) of UK has listed the
MTCS as one of the
seven recognised certification
schemes in its Conservation
and Environment Guidelines
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The
French Ministry of Environment
and Sustainable Development
and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs have
listed the MTCS as one
of the acceptable certification
schemes in the French Policy
on Public Procurement of Timber
and Wood Products entitled French
National Timber Procurement
Policy |
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5. |
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As
at October 2007, 26 holders of
the MTCC Certificate for Chain-of-Custody
have been accepted under the
Keurhout Protocol for Legal
Origin in The Netherlands |
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The
MTCS is also listed as
one of the certification schemes
in the Guideline for Verification
on Legality and Sustainability
of Wood and Wood Products issued
by the Forestry Agency, Ministry
of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries, Japan |
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Conditional
recognition of the MTCS
by Free and Hanseatic City of
Hamburg, Germany for two-year
period beginning June 2006 |
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As a member
of the Programme for the
Endorsement of Forest
Certification schemes (PEFC)
since November 2002, MTCC is
taking steps to submit its
scheme for endorsement within
the PEFC’s framework for mutual
recognition. |
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