Forest Stewardship Council, Congo Basin celebrates EGG Forest Management Certification

• This certification underscores EGG’s strong commitment to sustainable forestry practices and further reinforces the growing and crucial movement towards responsible forest management within the Congo Basin

 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Congo Basin office is delighted to announce that Exploitation Gabonaise de Grumes (EGG), a significant and long-standing player in Gabon’s forestry sector, has achieved FSC Forest Management (FM) certification. This significant milestone, attained on December 5, 2024, covers EGG’s 256,683 hectares of forest across its Forest Management Units (FMUs) EGG ROUGE and EGG VERT in the provinces of Ogooué Lolo and Haut Ogooué.

EGG has demonstrated a long-term commitment to sustainability, operating in these Forest Management Units (FMUs). Between 2014 and 2017, the company developed and secured approval for its sustainable forest management plans. This commitment solidified in 2022 when EGG dedicated itself to achieving FSC certification, diligently working to adapt its processes and approaches to meet the rigorous FSC standard requirements. Their hard work and unwavering dedication to sustainable practices have now been formally recognized with FSC certification under license code FSC-C194914 and certificate code PBN-FM/COC-065131.

This achievement represents a substantial increase in the total area of FSC-certified forests in Gabon, rising from over 2.2 million hectares to over 2.4 million hectares, and elevates the total certified area within the Congo Basin to an impressive 6.2 million hectares.

FSC Congo Basin expresses its enthusiasm

“We warmly congratulate EGG on this significant achievement,” stated Patrick Epie, FSC Congo Basin and West Africa Sub Regional Coordinator. “Their consistent dedication to sustainable forest management over the years has rightfully culminated in this well-deserved FSC certification. EGG’s commitment clearly demonstrates that responsible forestry is not only viable in the Congo Basin but is also a crucial pathway for safeguarding the long-term health of our invaluable forests and fostering a sustainable economy. This certification provides substantial momentum to our ongoing efforts to promote responsible forest management across Gabon and the wider Congo Basin.”

Boumi Hypp, Certification Manager at FSC Congo Basin, added, “EGG’s journey towards FSC certification is a powerful testament to their proactive and responsible approach to forestry. Achieving certification for such a significant forest area demands considerable effort and a deep-seated commitment to the core principles of environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability that FSC champions. We are confident that EGG’s certified operations will serve as a strong and positive example for other forestry companies in the region, encouraging the broader adoption of sustainable practices.”

EGG celebrates its FSC certification

“Obtaining FSC Forest Management certification marks a proud and significant moment for EGG, representing the culmination of years of dedicated work and a deep-seated commitment to sustainable forest management,” said Adrien Spaymant, Deputy Director of Exploitation Gabonaise de Grumes (EGG). “We firmly believe in the enduring value of our forests and are dedicated to managing them in a way that ensures both their ecological integrity and their vital contribution to the local economy. This prestigious certification provides our valued partners and customers with the definitive assurance that our timber is sourced responsibly, actively contributing to a more sustainable future for Gabon’s precious forest resources.”

This certification underscores EGG’s strong commitment to sustainable forestry practices and further reinforces the growing and crucial movement towards responsible forest management within the Congo Basin. The FSC Congo Basin office eagerly anticipates continued collaboration with EGG and other key stakeholders to further expand the area of certified forests throughout the region.

The International Tropical Timber Association (ATIBT), an organisation promoting the development of a sustainable, ethical and legal tropical timber industry as a natural and renewable resource essential to the socio-economic development of producer countries, congratulates EGG on obtaining its FSC forest management certification.

Benoît Jobbé-Duval, Managing Director of ATIBT: “ATIBT congratulates the teams at EGG and FSC on this new certification in Gabon. Our association, which promotes sustainable management by all means, can only applaud the efforts made to achieve this great result.”