How to avoid natural forests destruction and meet strict international timber trade rules
By Ken Hickson for Focus on Forests How can importers manage the risks associated with getting timber products from the Amazon? We hear a lot about the damage to the Amazon – the largest rainforest resource in the world – from deforestation, illegal logging and out of control forest fires. But little is said about […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 statement regarding Okoume Veneers investigation
Following recent media coverage, DoubleHelix has been made aware of an upcoming report by the US office of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), and an associated investigation by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), into okoume veneers sourced from Gabon and the Republic of Congo by Cornerstone Forest Products and Evergreen […]