World Forest ID is proud to announce its partnership with CMO, a dynamic organization representing small growers and companies in Sub-Saharan Africa. CMO's mission is to make the global supply chain of forest products legal, transparent, and safe for responsible participants. Through their Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) micro forest management and chain of custody group schemes, CMO provides market access for small growers to trade their responsibly produced forest products globally.

Michal Brink, CEO of CMO International, emphasizes the importance of this collaboration: “In a time when environmental challenges are more pressing than ever, our collaboration with World Forest ID reinforces our commitment to addressing these challenges head-on. By leveraging their expertise and our resources, we create a synergy that goes beyond individual achievements, making a significant impact on the global stage.”

Under this partnership, World Forest ID will offer training and tools to forest owners and managers in CMO’s network to collect samples in their forests. These samples will be integrated into the reference collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This ensures that traded products made from the wood harvested in their forests can be verified by FSC, responsible buyers, and ultimately gain access to the European single market under the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Jade Saunders, Executive Director of World Forest ID, highlights the significance of this initiative: “For World Forest ID, this partnership represents a great opportunity to work more closely with smallholder forest producers and to expand the species and geographical range of our collection of forest risk commodities into four new countries.”

This partnership aims to enhance sustainable forestry practices and supply chain transparency, ensuring that forest products are legally and responsibly sourced, benefiting both the environment and local communities.