FSC CERTIFICATION
FSC stands for ‘Forest Stewardship Council’, an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible forestry. FSC certifies forests all over the world to ensure they meet the highest environmental and social standards. Products made with wood and paper from FSC forests are marked with their ‘tick tree’ logo. When people see this logo, they can be confident that buying it won’t mean harming the world’s forests.
HOW DOES THE FSC SYSTEM WORK?
Forests are inspected and certified against strict standards based on FSC’s 10 Principles of Forest Stewardship. These inspections are undertaken by independent organizations, such as the Soil Association, that are accredited by the FSC. In order to be given FSC certification a forest must be managed in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This is what makes the FSC system unique and ensures that a forest is well-managed from the protection of indigenous people’s rights to the methods of felling trees. Forests that meet these strict standards are given FSC certification and the timber allowed to carry the FSC label.
HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT THE PRODUCT REALLY IS FSC-CERTIFIED?
In addition to forest certification, the FSC system includes a certified chain of custody that tracks materials and products through every stage in the supply chain from the forest or point of reclamation to the point where it is finished and labeled. This is monitored through the invoicing process and the final label on the product has a code that confirms that the item is genuinely FSC.
