ATIBT participates in the 15th Global Wood Trade Conference in Rizhao (China) as part of the TTT project

25.09.2025

From 26 August to 8 September 2025, a team from ATIBT travelled to China, first to Beijing and then to Rizhao, to take part in the 15th edition of the Global Wood Trade Conference and launch an ambitious new project: Tropical Timber Trade (TTT), funded and in partnership with GIZ. This mission was all about dialogue, cooperation and innovation for a more sustainable and transparent African timber trade.

The ATIBT Team, led by its President, Francoise Van de Ven, and composed of Benoit Jobbe Duval, Managing Director; Nathalie Bouville, Communication Manager; and Elise Cambier, Technical Assistant, took part in the 15th edition of the Global Wood Trade in China. Arnaud Hétroit, Director of LCB was also part of the delegation.

Focus on dialogue

The TTT project, funded by GIZ, aims to strengthen exchanges between timber professionals in Africa, China and Europe. Faced with growing demands for traceability and sustainability, the mission had a clear objective: to structure a sustainable and effective framework for exchange across the entire sector.

Under the motto "alone we go faster, together we go further", the workshops and round tables helped to know each other better and share experiences in the face of sectoral challenges.

Highlights of the mission

Beijing (29 August): A workshop explored how to translate standards into concrete actions. The discussion focused on the chain of custody (CoC) proposed by CTWPDA and its alignment with the EU Timber Regulation and the Lacey Act. The conclusion was clear: to ensure due diligence, external auditing and a good understanding of the legal framework in producer countries remain essential.
Rizhao (4 September): ATIBT led an unprecedented dialogue between African and Chinese representatives. On the agenda: traceability, legality and challenges in the tropical timber trade. It was also an opportunity to lay the foundations for cooperation.

International conference (5-6 September): ATIBT attended the numerous sessions offered by the organizers and Arnaud Hétroit, Director of the LCB, presented an overview of the European market, offering valuable insight into the trends and requirements of importers.

Official launch of the Tropical Timber Trade project

The TTT project is based on four strategic components:

Enhanced dialogue: TTT relies on dialogue as a driver of progress. Working groups and international workshops provide an opportunity to exchange and compare experiences and analyse in depth the practices of Chinese companies in order to better understand their approaches to sustainability and legal timber trade.
Traceability and certification: Reliability and transparency require robust systems. The project supports the roll-out of PAFC and FSC certification in the Congo Basin and compares different traceability systems to ensure their compatibility with the European Deforestation Regulation (EDR). The aim is to strengthen confidence in the sector and secure international trade.
Strategic promotion: Promoting tropical timber means raising its profile and creating new opportunities. Through the Fair&Precious programme, the promotion of lesser-known species (LKTS) and the launch of the My Tropical Timber (MTT) platform, TTT offers an interactive map bringing together producers, importers and professional associations, thereby promoting transparent and attractive trade.
Skills development: To turn intentions into concrete actions, TTT invests in human capacity. Training for trainers, continuing education programmes for public officials and businesses, and support for CITES procedures help to consolidate the skills needed for sustainable and responsible tropical timber management.

Focus on concrete action

The mission to China created valuable opportunities and raised the profile of African and European associations. The challenge now is to translate these exchanges and international recognition into concrete action on the ground. The TTT roadmap provides for the establishment of a lasting dialogue, the implementation of digital platforms and the continuation of collaborations.

The Tropical Timber Trade project is therefore turning a new page for the tropical timber sector: more connected, more transparent and better prepared to respond to global challenges.