Holzindustrie Schweighofer debates current issues in a public consultation held in Rădăuți

Over 100 representatives of harvesting and transport companies, managers of state and private forestry funds, industry representatives and journalists last Friday took part in the public consultation which Holzindustrie Schweighofer has held for the third time in the past two years in Rădăuți.

The event is a continuation of the transparency and stakeholder communication measures that the wood processing company is continuously implementing and this year has focused on wood purchasing areas as well as risk mitigation measures.

Dan Bănacu, general manager of Holzindustrie Schweighofer, said: “We believe in long-term partnerships with our suppliers, clients and all other members of the local community and today we are in front of you to show you how we took your opinions into account. We all have the same goal – to ensure sustainability in the wood industry, and to this end we are open to dialogue and we take into account the recommendations which lead to common success.”

Holzindustrie Schweighofer representatives presented the conclusions of the last public consultation held in Rădăuți (October 2017), the measures the company has implemented, its own GPS tracking system– Timflow, as well as the areas where it sources its wood and risk mitigation measures. As a result of the previous public consultations, the company has analysed all opinions participants put forward and used them in improving the plan for a sustainable wood industry in Romania, which Holzindustrie Schweighofer has already implemented. 

Adrian Dulgheru, director of log purchasing for the Schweighofer Group added: “Holzindustrie Schweighofer transparently presents the route of each truck that transports logs to its mills through the Timflow traceability system, which is a security architecture unique in Romania. We continue to maintain and consolidate the dialogue with the stakeholders through the series of public consultations, as well as through our open doors policy for non-governmental organisations, whom we invite to join the common endeavour of contributing to maintaining a sustainable wood industry.”

The event this autumn - the third of its kind organised in the past two years in Rădăuți – has also brought in front of the public experts who presented topics connected to the European Wood Trading Regulation (EUTR) as well as current challenges in implementing it; the current wood situation in Europe; Romania’s forestry resources; the importance of health and safety measures in forestry, as well as modern applications in estimating wood and timber volumes.