Jakarta - Nine Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Java exhibited furniture products certified with the Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK) at the SWITCH ASIA Program booth 14 - 17 March 2014 at the IFFINA (International Furniture and Craft Fair Indonesia) 2014 at Eco Park, Senayan. All of these SMEs are assisted by WWF-Indonesia and ASMINDO (Association of Indonesian Furniture and Craft Industries) in achieving SVLK with support from the European Union. During the closing ceremony of IFFINA today (17/3), the European Union, WWF-Indonesia, ASMINDO and HDMI (Indonesian Furniture Designers Association) gave special appreciation to the nine SMEs.

Colin Crooks, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia stated, "The European Union supports the efforts of Indonesian wood furniture industry SMEs to obtain SVLK certification. In particular, we pay tribute to all those who have worked and will continue to work hard to prepare Indonesian timber producers to obtain the SLVK certificate. These nine SMEs show that Indonesian wood furniture industry SMEs can be sustainable in terms of legal timber procurement and processing. Some of the best work comes from Small and Medium Enterprises throughout Indonesia. So it is great that with SVLK certification, consumers in Europe can be assured that their products are made from legal Indonesian wood. This is important, because if they are legal, they will continue to be able to enter the EU market and consumers in Europe can continue to enjoy their work."

In the same place, Budi Wardhana, WWF-Indonesia's Director of Policy, Sustainability and Transformation, said, "Through the EU-supported SWITCH ASIA Program, WWF-Indonesia and ASMINDO have partnered since last year to help over 300 SMEs prepare their industries for timber legality regulations in Indonesia and importing countries. We conducted SVLK training in 10 cities in Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, and intensive mentoring for 30 selected SMEs until they obtained SVLK certificates. Today, we appreciate the representatives of these SMEs by giving awards and certificates."

Meanwhile, Bambang Kartono, Chairman of HDMI, said that this appreciation is given for SMEs to boost their value in the market for a better life with consideration of environmental friendliness, safety and consumer health. We deliberately selected an independent jury team from academics, designers, media, marketing and WWF so that the categories and aspects of the assessment are complete and appropriate.

The assessment of the nine SMEs does not aim to compare products with each other and choose which one is the best. However, it looks at the excellence of each SME's performance through their products. So the appreciation categories were different from each other. There were 11 categories awarded:

For questions or further information, please contact:

Dita Ramadhani, Responsible Trade & Networking Coordinator GFTN - Indonesia
Email: dramadhani@wwf.or.id, Hp: +62821 100 79992

Bambang Kartono, Chairman of HDMI
Email: kartono.bambang@gmail.com, Hp: +62813 266 09818