Exporting Chain of Custody certified wood from Indonesia to New Zealand
How can you be sure that the beautiful teak dining table or decking you proudly possess is not made from wood illegally harvested from a Southeast Asia forest? Double Helix Tracking Technologies is doing its best to provide the very assurances needed by timber importers, builders, designers, furniture makers, retailers and consumers. The first shipment […]
Status of DoubleHelix services in Myanmar since 1st February 2021
DoubleHelix has been closely monitoring the situation in Myanmar since the military asserted control at the beginning of February. Our primary concern has been for the safety and welfare of our staff in Myanmar. At this time, they are all staying safe at home. Our next priority is to our customers and partners operating in […]
Innovations helping smallholder farmers & forest-owners add sustainability & integrity to their enterprise
By Ken Hickson for Focus on Forests “The DNA tracking will help to reduce the A$42.8 billion illicit trade of teak.” Project leader, Professor Andrew Lowe from the University of Adelaide “This is a powerful means of restoring trust and confidence in chain of custody systems.” Darren Thomas, Double Helix Tracking Technologies “Biophysical and social […]
DNA testing shows 40% of timber imported into Australia was incorrectly labelled
That was the headline which heralded the first results of a nationwide study of timber imported into Australia, conducted by a team at the University of Adelaide, led by Professor Andrew Lowe, who is also Chief Scientific Advisor to Double Helix Tracking Technologies. An Australian first national DNA testing programme was able to verify the […]
Maximising responsible timber sourcing with traceability and transparency in place
Digging ditches to save trees or digging dirt on illegal loggers. That’s all been in the experience of Max Horowitz-Burdick. He’s ready to admit that now he spends most of his time helping companies to make sure that the timber products they import or export – including pulp and paper – are responsibly sourced and […]
European oak flooring: how to be sure it’s the real thing?
How can a leading British oak flooring company be sure it’s getting the real thing – legally- acquired and responsibly-sourced – when it’s coming from the other side of the world? Product traceability and supply chain transparency is the answer. Five years ago, Brooks Bros (UK) Ltd wanted to provide assurance to its customers that […]
To catch a thief! Or how to prevent an upsurge in forest crime
By Ken Hickson for Focus on Forests “Wildlife and forestry crime is the world’s fourth largest illegal trade – a lucrative illegal business with far-reaching and devastating consequences not just for the environment but also for society, public health and global economics. Wildlife and forestry crime often occurs hand in hand with tax evasion, corruption, […]
The first use of Sourcemap to show the journey of timber from the forests of Austria and Slovenia to the Changi Chapel & museum in Singapore
For the first time in Southeast Asia, a sophisticated supply chain traceability process has been used by Double Helix Tracking Technologies to identify the source of timber – in this case from sustainably managed forests in Austria and Slovenia – to be used in a building in Singapore, the historic Changi Chapel and Museum. View […]
How green is my building?
There’s been an important focus on green buildings in the world this month (September 2020), so we must ask the question of whether buildings can truly be certified green and sustainable if most of the materials used are not. Look at all the concrete and cement that goes into your average office block or residential […]
Doublehelix now offers PEFC chain of custody
Increasing use of forest products makes certification all the more important. Environmentally conscious companies have a new, home-grown choice when it comes to certification of forest products. Singapore-based Double Helix Tracking Technologies (DoubleHelix) now offers PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification to companies here, and also across the Asia-Pacific region. PEFC CoC certification shows that […]