About Us
ResponsibleMarkets.org is a Rainforest Alliance project created in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy through USAID’s Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) Program, EFI (European Forest Institute), and WWF GFTN (Global Forest and Trade Network).
Following the 2009 Forest Markets Policy and Practice Conference, the sponsoring organizations identified a need for a centralized resource related to the sustainable sourcing and sale of wood and wood products. The organizing partners saw an opportunity to extend their mission and goals beyond live events by creating an online community that could share information and resources beyond the limitations of conferences.
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ResponsibleMarkets.org provides: - A library of resources - Information on previous and upcoming conferences - Expert content provided by scholars and established professionals - A community that allows interested parties a place to meet and communicate with other like-minded individuals
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Login to the Responsible Markets Community now, and introduce yourself!
Partners:
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RA - Rainforest Alliance |
Fostering leadership in sustainable forestry, agriculture and tourism
The Rainforest Alliance has over 20 years of experience helping companies, communities and organizations adopt sustainable practices. Since our inception, we have worked in more than 70 countries to develop and implement standards for the sustainable management of natural resources.
We helped establish the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the concept of third-party sustainable forestry certification. We led efforts in the agricultural field, developing a model for the certification of well-managed farms that grow a variety of crops, such as bananas, coffee, tea, cocoa and flowers. We are a leader in setting global criteria for responsible tourism and are at the frontlines of efforts to credibly verify and market carbon-offset initiatives that combat global warming and provide a source of income to those who use forest resources responsibly.
With thousands of Rainforest Alliance Certified™operations worldwide, we help build sustainable supply chains, create viable purchasing policies and improve land-use practices. Our staff are experts in ecology, policy, economics, marketing and sociology. We link buyers and sellers along entire supply chains in forestry, agriculture and tourism, foster competitive community enterprises, monitor and document the impacts of our work and communicate the results to a diverse range of stakeholders. Our hands-on, practical approach to conservation is an asset to any organization hoping to make positive changes in operations.
Visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
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The Nature Conservancy / Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT)
Transforming the Tropical Timber Trade
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. TNC advances innovative and sustainable forest management solutions at the scale of the problem – global to local – for the benefit of both people and nature. We work with governments, communities, corporations and landowners to protect core forest reserves and to ensure the responsible management of “working forests” that give us timber, jobs, sustainable economies, wildlife habitat, fresh water and a stable climate.
In Asia-Pacific and China, this includes the Responsible Asia Forestry & Trade (RAFT) Program. RAFT is a 5-year program funded by the US Agency for International Development’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID RDMA) that is designed to influence the development and implementation of the public policies and corporate practices needed to improve forest management and bring transparency to the timber trade in Asia Pacific. RAFT is managed by TNC and implemented in partnership with IUCN, RECOFTC-The Center for People and Forests, TRAFFIC, the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF), Tropical Forest Trust (TFT) and the WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN). RAFT brings together a catalytic group of NGOs, governments and the private sector to transform the regional timber trade by forging linkages between producing countries (e.g. Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea); processing countries (e.g. China, Thailand, and Vietnam); and consuming countries (e.g. US and EU Member States).
Visit http://www.responsibleasia.org
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WWF - GFTN: The World Wide Fund for Nature - Global Forest and Trade Network |
WWF-led partnership—links more than 360 companies, communities, NGOs, and entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries around the world. The goal is to create a new market for environmentally responsible forest products. Since 1991, market-driven demands from GFTN participants have increased the economic incentives for responsible forest management. This is helping to ensure that millions of acres of forests are independently and credibly certified, a guarantee that the forests are well managed and that their products come from legal and sustainable timber harvests.
Visit http://gftn.panda.org/
EFI - The European Forest Institute
EFI strengthens and mobilizes European forest research and expertise to address policy-relevant needs. EFI is the leading institution conducting and advocating forest research and facilitating forest research networking at the pan-European level. It is an acknowledged provider of and a major contact point for unbiased, policy-relevant information on European forests and forestry.