AAA supports Maersk Policy on Sustainable Forestry

Ethical investment advocate Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has welcomed news f
rom the Danish shipping giant Maersk, that claims it will no longer use uncertif
ied tropical wood for the flooring in its containers.
Boston, MA, June 01, 2011 -- Ethical investment advocate Alternative Asset Analy
sis (AAA) has welcomed news from the Danish shipping giant Maersk, that claims i
t will no longer use uncertified tropical wood for the flooring in its container
s.
Maersk’s shipping containers all have hard wood flooring and until now they were u
sing tropical woods that were often from unsustainable sources. Now, with the en
vironmental implications in mind, Maersk has decided to only used wood from sour
ces that are certified as sustainable from now on.
The wood Maersk will use in the future will be marked with the Forest Sterwardsh
ip Council (FSC) certification, which guarantees the wood used for the container
s’ floors are not the product of illegal logging. The firm is also expected to use
recycled plastic and bamboo as a sustainable environmentally friendly option fo
r its flooring.
Stephen Kelleher of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, said
that he hoped other business will follow Maersk’s lead: "Achieving sustainable de
velopment and environmental conservation will not be possible without the full e
ngagement of the private sector, and we hope this bold move will inspire other b
usinesses to follow suit.”
AAA is welcoming the news as it supports investment in sustainable projects, lik
e the planting of sustainable forestry crops in emerging markets such as Brazil.
These kinds of projects can help to protect the natural resources that are so p
recious to developing economies. AAA’s analyst partner Anthony Johnson explained, “G
enerating a larger market for sustainably produced timber will increase returns
on investment for anyone looking to buy up sustainable forest land and trees tha
t can be harvested some years down the line.”
“As demand increases, the price of sustainably produced timber goes up, and invest
ors in projects such as the those run by Greenwood Management in Brazil and Cost
a Rica, see the benefits,” added Johnson.
Currently, the shipping industry purchases as much as 1.5 million cubic meters o
f tropical hardwood, so it is easy to see how a change in policy would reduce de
mand for timber that is the product of deforestation, claimed AAA. Mearsk’s decisi
on alone will reduce the demand for uncertified tropical hardwood by 6 per cent
from the shipping industry – having a potentially major impact on the demand in ge
neral.
Contact :
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-898-6317
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com