OLB (Origin and Legality of Timber) Certification

Sustainable management is the only way to preserve tropical forests and increase their economic value for the local population by providing development opportunities for many villages. An important step in the direction of forest management was taken by Alpi Group with the obtainment of OLB (Origin and Legality of Timber OLB-CERT-090501) Certification - issued by the international certifying organization Bureau Veritas - which attests legality and traceability of its forestry and industrial wood processing operations in Cameroon.

This certification guarantees Gruppo Alpi's clients that the company is compliant with the laws on forest management, environment, hygiene, health, occupational safety, taxes, work contracts, wood purchasing and exportation, certifies the geographic origin of the wood and guarantees its traceability from the very first industrial process on.

For Gruppo Alpi, this entails a continual commitment and an increased sensitivity to established methods of proper forest management, as well as social issues and worker protection. Along these lines, the company's most recent actions have been:

• Achieving complete traceability from the forest to the final sale by computerizing information relating to every processing step;
• The creation of numerous forestry planning programmes and worker training programmes on low environmental impact felling techniques;
  
• Safety equipment and worker training programmes on protection and personal safety, as well as free medical check-ups and ensuring employee awareness of the importance of AIDS prevention;
  
• The improvement of workers' living quarters through a general plan providing for renovation and construction of new, high-quality housing;
  
• The implementation of conflict resolution procedures by creating a new consultation platform that allows the inhabitants of the villages near company lands, the indigenous populations (pygmies) and the company to create opportunities for discussion and exchange that can benefit all parties.
  
• A programme for training local "motivators" in the techniques of participative social cartography, with the aim of involving the semi-nomadic pygmy populations in forest management and the preservation of their fundamental resources;
  
• Complete transparency of forest concessions: we have opened our doors to several research organizations, as well as journalists and writers; these relationships have resulted in the publication of studies and scientific articles.

By providing an independent guarantee of the legality of its products, Gruppo Alpi satisfies the requirements of the U.S. "Lacey Act" and can expect to be consistent with the EU FLEGT action plan, at least according to the current content of this draft law.