Inproba, a leader in oriental food products, proudly announces its sponsorship and partnership with the Association of Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group (The Association) in Vietnam. This initiative underscores Inproba's commitment to sustainability and global environmental stewardship by contributing to the preservation and restoration of Vietnam's community forest ecosystems.
In May 2024, the Association of Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group (QTSFCG) and Inproba agreed on a sponsorship for 3 years to contribute to carbon sequestration and storage, including carbon conservation and carbon enhancement and monitoring thereof, in natural forests in the first FSC communities’ forests in Quang Tri, Vietnam.
In August 2024, with the approval of Quang Tri Provincial People’ Committee, Inproba became the first sponsor of FSC Verified Impact in Asia Pacific with support from FSC Network, FSC Netherlands and FSC Vietnam, and recognised by the local government.
Over the last six months, The Association has leveraged this sponsorship to support its restoration and preservation efforts in five different community forests. The Association represents smallholder forest managers in the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam. In 2021, the first natural communities’ forest managed by Van Kieu ethnic minorities communities became member of Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group and also became FSC certified. In 2023, the Assocation has obtained FSC verified impact claims on carbon storage and sequestration for their 2,150 hectares FSC communities’ forest.
‘For Inproba, it is important to create a positive impact both on the environment and on people. With this sponsorship, we support the restoration and preservation of forests in Vietnam as well as the communities that rely on it for their livelihood. This partnership with FSC and the Association of Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group is very relevant for our ambitious sustainability targets’ says Mrs. Marjolein Jonker, Marketing & Communications Manager at Inproba.
The sponsorship supports the association in its management objectives in frame of FSC communities’ forest certification and FSC Verified Impact including the protection of an area of about 2,145 hectares at 5 natural forests managed by the communities including Ho, Chenh Venh, Xai Bai, Trang – Ta Puong and Cat villages – Huong Hoa district – Quang Tri province through patrolling and High Conservation Values forest management. In addition, it includes managing about 350,000 tons of stored CO2 and annual CO2 sequestration capacity of about 7,000 tons in an area of 2,145 hectares with annual carbon monitoring and enrichment planting with non-timber forest product (NTFP) species like rattan and black locust.
Mr. Hoang Duc Doanh, Chairman of the Association Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group commented, “We welcome the support from Inproba which comes at a crucial time for our project. This sponsorship enables our communities to manage and protect the forest better through tree planting and patrolling activities. Together, we can accelerate our efforts to restore our precious forests and create sustainable pathways for the communities who live here.
About Inproba
Inproba is a sustainable food-processing company seeking to create positive impact by sponsoring an FSC-certified project with a verified ecosystem services claim of carbon storage. For their oriental food products, Inproba sources from the Asian region and gives back by contributing to positive impact in that region. Inproba’s initial contribution is for 1.972,7 ton of carbon sequestration at the start of the sponsorship, to be expanded during the years of the sponsorship and with a minimum of 3.000 ton carbon sequestration over the full period.
About Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group
Quang Tri Smallholder Forest Certification Group is an association that represents smallholder forest managers in the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam. Next to traditional forest products, the Association also focuses on the sustainable harvesting of NTFPs such as rattan, bamboo, locust and soap-nut, as well as on the sustainable management of ecotourism activities managed by the community in Chenh Venh & Trang - Ta Puong villages, from which bamboo and rattan have got FSC certified and are ready to be sold on the FSC market. They are looking for interested partners and sponsors to jointly contribute to the management and development of ecosystem services and support their natural communities forest member to maintain FSC certificate and expand the scope of certificate to diversify products. More information about Quang Tri's Verified Impact can be found here.
About FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global nonprofit organisation that promotes responsible forest management through certification and sustainable sourcing solutions. FSC’s Verified Impact initiative offers high integrity verified data allows companies to showcase measurable positive contributions to forests, biodiversity, and communities beyond standard certification. By partnering with FSC, businesses can credibly communicate their sustainability achievements, strengthen stakeholder trust, and differentiate themselves in the market. For more information on Verified Impact, see Ecosystem Services for Businesses | Forest Stewardship Council.