Today we are taking a closer look at the FSC certification. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council with the motto: FORESTS FOREVER FOR ALL . The organization is one of the most reliable and ensures important environmental and social standards in forests . For more than 25 years, the organization has been committed to promoting more environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economical management of forests. The organization was founded in 1993 and is an independent, non-profit non-governmental organization. The FSC is represented in over 80 countries.
The vision and guiding principles of the FSC
The organization's vision is to be environmentally friendly and to protect the biodiversity, productivity and ecological processes of the forest . Furthermore, it aims to be socially beneficial, to support the forest management of the local population and to offer long-term benefits to society. It also ensures that financial profit does not come at the expense of forest resources, the ecosystem or the affected community. The FSC follows the following principles for its forests worldwide:
- Compliance with laws: The forestry operation must comply with laws, regulations, contracts, conventions and agreements.
- Employee rights and working conditions: The forestry company maintains or improves the social and economic situation of its employees.
- Rights of indigenous peoples: The forestry company respects the legal and customary rights of the indigenous group regarding ownership, use and management.
- Relations with the local population: The forestry operation contributes to maintaining or improving the social and economic well-being of the local population.
- Forest services: The forest is managed in such a way that the social and ecological services of the forest are maintained or improved.
- Impacts on the environment: Negative environmental impacts caused by management are avoided, remedied or mitigated.
- Management: The forestry enterprise has a management that defines the mission statement and objectives in relation to the scope, intensity and risk of management.
- Monitoring and evaluation: The forestry operation demonstrates that it monitors and evaluates progress in achieving operational objectives as well as the impacts of management measures and the condition of the forest.
- Special protection values: The forestry operation maintains or improves the condition of special protection values in the forest by applying the precautionary principle.
- Implementation of management measures : The selection and implementation of management measures must be FSC compliant.
The various FSC labels
There are generally three different FSC labels. The label gives consumers the chance to make an informed decision in favour of a certified product. Certified products are manufactured using material from FSC-certified forests and controlled and legal wood sources. The labels make it immediately clear which materials the product is made of, although the label only refers to the product and packaging components that come from the forest . Of course, only certified manufacturers are allowed to use the label for their products. The FSC Recycled label can be found on products that consist exclusively of recycled material. The FSC Mix label can be found on products that are made from materials from FSC-certified forests and/or recycled material from controlled sources. The FSC 100% label identifies products that are made entirely from FSC-certified forests. For a product or company to receive FSC certification, it must meet various criteria.
The product chain certification
In order for a product to receive the FSC label and confirm that it was made from FSC-certified material, a product chain certification is carried out. This means that the company must guarantee and prove at all times that FSC-certified materials are used. If all requirements are met, the company receives a certificate and is authorized to put the label on the end product. The label brings with it various advantages . The award offers the company a chance to open up new markets, increase market share and even increase the market price. In addition, FSC-certified companies have a head start in the area of responsible use of forest resources.
Here too, pay attention to the FSC label when shopping and consciously choose the product with the FSC label. In this way, you support environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management.
The following brands in our range have products with FSC certification:
- WEPA
- Hakle
- Tork
