An ELI Public Webinar
Fueled by the $25 billion hongmu furniture industry, China’s rosewood imports grew 1,300 percent between 2009 and 2014. With vulnerable rosewood populations in Africa and Southeast Asia continuing to decline, policymakers needed to act. In 2016, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) passed stringent reforms on finished products containing rosewood. But one of the hardest hit industries was unintended: musical instruments.
In the first quarter these reforms went into effect, music retailers in the United States lost $60 million in sales. Additionally, musicians travelling internationally risked their instruments being confiscated. At the heart of the controversy was that instrument manufacturers sourced their rosewood primarily from India not from the vulnerable varieties in Africa or Southeast Asia. After several contentious years, in August 2019 CITES adopted an exemption for finished musical instruments, parts, and accessories. While the $1.5 billion musical instrument industry faces less stringent regulations, critics remain concerned this change may provide an exploitive loophole.
How is CITES impacting the musical instrument industry and China’s furniture industry? As additional species of tonewoods deplete, how is the musical instrument industry preparing for future regulations? What lessons can be learned for these future regulations? Our panelists explored these issues and the future of sustainability in manufacturing musical instrument.
Panelists:
Jose E. Martinez-Reyes, PhD, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Moderator
Heather Noonan, Vice President for Advocacy, League of American Orchestras
Scott Paul, Director of Natural Resource Sustainability, Taylor Guitars
Cindy Squires, Executive Director & CEO, International Wood Products Association (IWPA)
Materials:
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