Rattan reimagined: the women who changed what a forest product could be

For the Dayak communities of Borneo, rattan has always been part of daily life and ceremony. The climbing cane grows only where the forest is healthy, which makes it something worth protecting. PT. IGP International was built on that understanding, and on the women who turned it into a business. Lily Fistanio, the company's General Manager, is proud of what they built: "At this company, most management level positions are held by women. And I believe women with skills, vision, and heart can help develop women's roles in the future." 

The industry did not start this way. Early rattan work was physical and male-dominated. As production moved toward more refined, design-led goods, women's craftsmanship became central, and so did their roles in decisions about quality and direction. Today, PT. IGP International works with 280 factory staff and 2,500 home weavers across 300 groups, 60 to 70% of them women. Many started weaving at home and became trainers and group leaders. Stephanie Ghozali, Creative Director said, "We once thought about the material itself; today we think about the people behind it, the forests it comes from, and the future we want to build around it."  

When PT. IGP International achieved FSC certification in 2023, it gave buyers around the world a reason to trust what they were purchasing. The women behind it gained access to markets they could not reach before. Behind that is a simpler belief: that when farmers and communities manage their forests responsibly, the forests stay standing. 

Dayak Forests Guardian: The Journey of Rattan from Borneo to the World follows that from deep inside one of Central Kalimantan's most ecologically significant forest corridors, through sorting, processing, and manufacturing, to the finished product on an international retail shelf. A supply chain story and a forest protection story, filmed as one. Coming soon.