Kyaw Kyaw Win Calls for a Sustainable and Integrated ASEAN Furniture Industry
Kyaw Kyaw Win, President of the Myanmar Furniture Industry Association, urged Southeast Asian furniture producers to deepen regional cooperation and accelerate sustainable transformation during a presentation at the Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum 2026.
The forum was held on 23 September at the Galaxy International Convention Center in Macau.
Addressing new opportunities in Southeast Asia’s home-furnishing industry, Win said the redesign of global supply chains is creating fresh openings for ASEAN as international buyers seek greater sourcing diversification, reliability and resilience.
He highlighted the region’s complementary strengths, including:
- Vietnam – large-scale OEM and ODM production
- Indonesia – teak and rattan craftsmanship
- Malaysia – rubberwood supply chain
- Thailand – design and manufacturing capabilities
- Myanmar – natural materials and skilled artisans
Win noted that Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia collectively account for about 85% of ASEAN furniture exports, but argued that future growth should extend beyond export volume.
Stronger intra-ASEAN links could enable manufacturers to share materials, suppliers, expertise and market access while helping smaller producers enter regional supply chains.
Sustainability, he added, is increasingly a condition of international market access. He called for:
- Legal and certified sourcing
- Improved traceability from raw material to finished product
- Wider use of engineered wood, bamboo and recycled composites
Certifications such as FSC, PEFC and BSCI could become competitive advantages for exporters that prepare early.
Concluding with the message ‘Think regionally. Transform sustainably. Compete globally,’ Win said ASEAN’s future competitiveness must be built on collaboration, innovation and responsible growth rather than low cost alone.
