PUTRAJAYA, Nov 21 — The expansion and development of the green furniture industry can make the industry "the next trillion dollar business”, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He said the use of green furniture that uses natural materials does not contain harmful substances and does not emit harmful gases, and can reduce environmental pollution.

"The use of furniture at present is a source of pollution to the environment if not managed well. I suggest that in developing green furniture, it must be viewed holistically because every furniture production ecosystem contributes to the production of carbon footprints,” he said at a symposium on green furniture here today.

Also present were the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and the Director-General of the Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) Dr Ismail Parlan.

Therefore, he said FRIM’s efforts to recognise companies in Malaysia with the recognition of green furniture under FRIM’s Green Furniture Certification Scheme can bring a positive impact to companies involved in the green furniture industry.

This is because the effort is able to increase the credibility and competitiveness of the companies involved and further help them market green furniture products in the domestic and international markets, he said.

Meanwhile, he said the export of wooden furniture is the main contributor to the overall export of the country’s timber industry, recording an export value of RM11.1 billion out of the total export of the country’s timber industry which was RM25.2 billion last year.

The 2023 National Green Furniture Symposium themed ‘Sustaining the Industry Towards a Circular Economy’ organised by FRIM in collaboration with the Malaysian Timber Industry Board (MTIB) was attended by more than 200 participants consisting of government agency representatives, industry players and research officers in the industry. — Bernama