OPEN ROAD APPOINTED AS GLOBAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS ADVISERS TO HELVETA ON SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY
November 7th 2008
Open Road has been appointed by Helveta after a competitive pitch as its public affairs and stakeholder relations consultancy across the European Union, the US, the UK and in other world markets where the UK software company is operating.
Helveta provides technology that provides full traceability and online verification that helps ensure the legality of timber felled in tropical hardwood exporting countries across the world. Using its proprietary CI World™ technology and open system standards such as handheld devices, barcodes, RFID tags and mapping applications , Helveta and partner agencies monitor forest management activities in nations across the Congo and Amazon basins and in South East Asia. CI World software tracks timber products back to the original standing tree in the forest by checking that timber tracked in its systems has the correct barcode or RFID reference on it at all times and by using rules based, online verification that allows all stakeholders to verify the legal status of timber products over the web. This process of real time verification is key to helping stop illegal logging and the importation of forest products into the EU and US derived from illegally harvested timber. Deforestation is substantially driven by illegal logging and causes climate change, damage to the local environment, reduces much needed tax revenues for developing countries and contributes to problems of corruption. Companies importing timber need effective systems of assurance to ensure that they are not involved in importing illegally felled timber.
Open Road is advising Helveta on:
• Its response to the EU’s recently announced Draft Framework Regulation on illegal logging that would make it an offence throughout the EU to import illegally logged timber
• Its response to the EU’s new Communication on forestry that would for the first time use money from carbon permits to create financial incentives for tropical hardwood exporting countries to preserve their forests rather than allow deforestation
• Engaging policymakers in the US on the implementation on the recently amended Lacey Act which has made it an offence to import illegally felled timber into the USA
• Raising Helveta’s profile in Brussels with the EU institutions; assisting Helveta in its dealings with UK embassies in Peru, Brazil and elsewhere to make best use of UK government support
Contd/…2
• And arranging a press trip for UK and US media to Liberia to raise awareness of the Helveta / SGS system that is providing full traceability and legality assurance to enable Liberia to export timber legally for the first time for many years.
Graham McMillan, Chief Executive of Open Road, said: “Helveta can play a major role in helping governments around the world introduce systems to stop illegal logging, reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and enable legal and sustainable trade that can be vital to development. Whenever policymakers see Helveta technology online, they are impressed. Its CI World technology enables you to see over the web the details of individual trees in forests in countries such as Cameroon and Liberia and is a vital tool in tackling illegal logging and promoting legal and sustainable forest management. Our role is to raise the profile of the technology and ensure Helveta’s voice is heard in the EU, UK and US on major policy issues on reducing deforestation. The EU and the US are currently making it an offence to import illegally logged timber and the EU and the IPCC are exploring financial mechanisms to encourage developing world nations to preserve rather than exploit their forests.”
Patrick Newton, Chief Executive Officer of Helveta said: “Open Road has shown us how they can help us punch above our weight in Brussels, Washington, London and beyond with key policy makers, stakeholders and the media. They are also helping us with relationships in British embassies in other markets around the world in which we have operations. It is unusual to find a consultancy that understands sustainability, climate change policy and trade and can deliver effectively in the EU, the US and other major world markets.”