African blackwood was once common across east Africa but is now confined to a small area of southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The disappearance of the species threatens the livelihoods of some of world’s poorest people who rely almost entirely on the resources of the forest for their survival.

Sound & Fair and it’s international partners, are now promoting a source of sustainably harvested timber, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Nicholas Daniel has committed his support to persuade both instrument manufacturers to use it and consumers to demand instruments made from it.

Nicholas Daniel says: “In the next few months the first ever crop, a sizeable one, of FSC-certified African blackwood, will be available to be made into instruments.

“I am so excited and proud to be involved with this remarkable project, that pays for the first time a proper rate to growers in Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in Kikole village forest reserve in southern Tanzania. Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

Nicholas Daniel says: “It is time that we, as players, look at the wood of our instruments as something that grew, that someone tended, owned and harvested. It is no longer acceptable that anyone is treated unfairly in the making of our beautiful instruments, or that someone in a country far away with few of the benefits we have suffers as a result of our search for beauty.

“We can help directly in this situation, and we can make a difference. We just need to express our commitment and enthusiasm for FSC-certified wood with our makers, and make it clear that we want a fair deal for growers in Tanzania.”

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK for use by the woodwind instrument manufacturers.

Nicholas Daniel will be performing and talking about African blackwood at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Oklahoma, USA, from 22-26 June 2010.

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Read the story written by Lucy Siegle on the Guardian website.

African blackwood is the most commonly used wood in the manufacturing of instruments such as traditional Irish flutes, as well as other woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes and bagpipes.

Tom Roche, Director of Just Forests says: “For Just Forests this is a dream come true. We are delighted to partner with Sound & Fair in this very practical project through our Just Music initiative. This partnership will engage Irish musicians and Irish musical instrument makers with our fight against poverty and un-fair forest exploitation.”

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in a Village Land Forest Reserve managed by Kikole village, southern Tanzania, under the guidance of the Mpingo Conservation Project.

Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair Campaign Manager, says: “Sound & Fair looks forward to working with Just Forests in reaching out to Irish woodworkers and establishing FSC-certified African blackwood as the standard source of supply for flute makers. Through FSC, flute manufacturers have an opportunity to facilitate a ‘win-win’ situation of environmental sustainability for the forests of Southern Tanzania and poverty alleviation for some of the world’s poorest people.”

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The FSC-certification of Hanson Clarinets, the UK’s largest clarinet manufacturer, completes the world’s first FSC chain of custody for sustainably harvested African blackwood.

The chain of custody links all handlers of FSC-certified African blackwood, starting with forest harvesters in Tanzania and ending with instrument manufacturers and retailers in the West, providing consumers with independent verification that the wood used to produce their instruments originates from a sustainable source.

Alastair Hanson, Co-Founder of Hanson Clarinets says: “We are proud to become the world’s first FSC-certified maker of woodwind instruments. We buy our wood responsibly to help safeguard the hugely valuable natural resources of the tropical forests that provide the material needed to make clarinets.

“We hope that our commitment will help persuade other makers to join in protecting endangered species and in turn work to protect the future for forests, wildlife, communities and of course music.”

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in a Village Land Forest Reserve managed by Kikole village, southern Tanzania, under the guidance of the Mpingo Conservation Project.

Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair Campaign Manager, says: “This a massive step forward in our campaign to realise a sustainable trade in African blackwood timber and help lift some of the world’s poorest people out of poverty.

“Many years of hard work have gone into creating the required infrastructure in Tanzania to export FSC-certified hardwoods and now we have the commitment of one of the UK’s major woodwind instrument manufacturers to drive the process through.

“Very soon clarinet players will be able to make purchasing decisions based on ethical considerations as well as quality.”

Hanson Clarinets expect to launch the world’s first FSC-certified clarinet in late-2010.

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The FSC-certified MADERA guitar range will be built with 100% FSC-Pure certified tonewoods such as Sitka spruce, Western Red cedar, and South American ‘True’ mahogany.

With an FSC Chain-of-Custody certification, all woods on the MADERA are tracked from forest to finished instrument thereby guaranteeing its sustainable origins.

“We all share the same world and we all need to do our part to be a part of the solution and ensure we live in a sustainable way,” says Jonathan Lee, Chief Designer behind Walden guitars.

“Ecologically friendly products are in high demand but sustainable-wood acoustic guitars are rare and expensive.

“‘Green’ acoustic guitars made by ethically run factories in Mainland China do not exist; until now.

“Obtaining certification and building with FSC-Pure materials is the only way we can be sure that we are honestly obtaining woods from responsible sources.

“However, these sources are rare at this time. It is my hope that demand for these instruments will aid in certifying more forests around the world and make sustainable living commonplace.”

Find out more at Walden Guitars

As a young man Martin Doyle traveled from Bray in County Wicklow to Africa as a ships engineer, a job he took to raise funds to set up his flute making business.

Now an established flute maker and user of African blackwood, Martin dreams of returning to Africa and setting up an Irish flute making workshop with the Tanzanian forest communities that harvest the wood he uses in his instruments.

Listen to Martin’s journey

Read about Martin’s journey

Sources say the Nashville-based guitar manufacturer is being investigated for violating the Lacey Act, a key piece of environmental law, for importing endangered species of rosewood from Madagascar.

Rosewood is widely used in the construction of guitars and sells for $5,000 per cubic meter, more than double the price of mahogany. The island nation off Africa’s east coast is a key producer of the hardwood, the export of which has links to international criminal activity.

A statement from Gibson released late Tuesday afternoon says the company is “fully co-operating” with the investigation.

“Gibson Guitar is fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood. Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards.”

“Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO [Henry Juszkiewicz] sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue of certification very seriously. The company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information,” the company’s statement said.

Madagascar has struggled financially since a January coup and new President Andry Rajoelina issued an executive order in September legalizing the export of rosewood and ebony.

The move was decried by environmental groups and political leaders worldwide, as hardwood forests are key to Madagascar’s unique ecology and serve as a habitat for a dwindling lemur population.

Via Nashville Post

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Key Findings

The total UK market for woodwind instruments in 2005 was around £11M, having peaked at £29M in 2002.

Mirroring the wider retail market, the woodwind market declined through 2006 and was reported to be weak in 2007, with further decline expected in 2008.

At a current estimated market size of £10M, the UK woodwind market comprises a little over 2% of the total UK music industries market in 2007, falling from a peak in share of 6% in 2002.

Woodwind thus needs a new product to breathe life into the sector.

However, the wider retail market is expected to rise again after 2010 in good time for the projected arrival of the first FSC-certified instruments which, in turn, could boost the musical instrument market.

A survey of selected retailers gave an indication of the factors which would both encourage and discourage retailers from trading in certified blackwood instruments.

The primary reasons which would encourage retailers to trade in certified instruments were first fair trade, and secondly environmental or conservation concerns.

Testing a new supply route and seeking better quality timber were also deemed important.

However, the perceived extra cost of certification and the related concerns about additional administration were cited as potential reasons why retailers might not wish to trade in certified instruments.

Overall, retailers expressed a strong interest in the future product but remarked that the real influence lies with the manufacturers and the musicians themselves.

Because of the high level of work required in making an instrument, purchasing the timber represents only a small fraction of the total cost of an instrument (approximately 6% of the retail value) and as such there is considerable opportunity to increase the cost of the raw material with minimal impact on the final price, at least within a niche market.

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It features the results of a small consumer survey of musicians covering customer types, key issues, demand assessments and perceived willingness to pay a premium for musical instruments made from certified timber.

Download PDF version of African blackwood instruments consumer market report (2008)

Key Findings

Broadly speaking, classical musicians are typically highly aesthetic people, creative yet precise in the way they play their music, and similarly so in the way in which they engage with life in general.

As such, the appeal of a fairly traded, certified instrument tends to fit well with the typical musician’s personality and purchasing decisions.

Ethics, moral choice and environmental sustainability are important to these consumers. Conservation and fair trade concerns are most important of all.

Consumers can be classified as professional, semi-professional or amateur. Students, depending on their levels can be regarded as either semi-professional or amateur.

Professionals may play in symphony orchestras, as soloists, as chamber musicians or in specialist associations such as early music ensembles.

Symphony players are the most common, making up perhaps three-quarters of professional woodwind players.

Chamber musicians account for an estimated 15% of professionals whilst approximately 5% are soloists and an estimated 5% are specialist performers.

The purchase of a premium oboe or clarinet represents a major investment and instruments are usually repaired rather than replaced, but the wear and tear on woodwind means they are replaced more regularly than say string instruments.

Buying a musical instrument is, in retailing parlance, a ‘want’ rather than a ‘need’ purchase.

Typically the need for a functional instrument is outweighed by the aspirational aspect of buying an instrument, a purchase that makes the musician feel that not only are they investing in quality, and they are improving themselves and benefiting their audiences by paying extra for a better product.

Linked to this is the critical issue of quality. It is clear from this research that to reach the requirements of a musician, particularly above the amateur level, a fairly traded, certified product will not be enough to sway the potential buyer.

The most important factor in deciding on a purchase is not its price, nor the origins of the wood, nor the social and ecological impact, but the intrinsic quality of the instrument itself.

Qualities of sound, of feel, of function, and of material are all essential to the buyer. Yet if the quality aspirations and requirements of the consumer can be met, strong demand exists for FSC-certified, Fairtrade and other ethical products, sold with a price premium, especially at the top end of the market.

A product’s provenance and added value is a selling point. Consumers generally are increasingly making buying decisions on a product’s ‘eco-value’, especially for premium and luxury products, and FSC-certified instruments would fit well into this picture.

In the current eco-conscious consumer market, asking buyers of musical instruments to pay a small percentage price premium is a realistic proposition.

Some 78% of musicians questioned stated they are willing to pay a more for a certified, fairly traded instrument, with three quarters of those indicating they would be prepared to pay a premium of between 10-25%.

This aspect of the research is absolutely fundamental to the viability of the project.

End consumers have indicated a willingness to pay the premium that is necessary to fund the FSC certified supply chain that will deliver increased incomes to forest- dependent communities.

Download PDF version of African blackwood instruments consumer market report (2008)