Based on increased awareness of the role played by the world's forests in exacerbating or mitigating climate change, all parties are now looking to the forests for cost-efficient actions. You have probably seen it before - the abbreviation REDD. And you can be sure you haven't seen it for the last time Read more

 

New FSC rules for certification of forest groups have come into force. FSC has cleverly managed to facilitate certification of smaller forests without compromising FSC’s credibility. However, we doubt that the requirements for sampling intensity – a key issue in group certification - would pass a logic test Read more

 

FSC has revised its certificate database http://info.fsc.org, which now also hosts a certificate holder portal and trademark resources. While this is good news in terms of system stability, some features have so far been lost in the process. We provide an overview of the changes Read more
 

Gucci and the Rainforest Action Network have teamed up to develop a strong paper policy for the entire Gucci conglomerate. Brands such as Stella McCartney and Yves Saint Laurent are now committed to follow the green paper policy adopted by the group Read more
 

New PEFC logo rules, adopted by the PEFC Council last year, became mandatory for all PEFC-certified companies on the 21st of November. There are now more standard options availbale both on-product and off-product Read more


 

One of Europe's large nature reserves, the Krkonose National Park in the Czech Republic has been FSC-certified. The park and the FSC National initiative now collaborate to raise awareness of the importance of responsible forest management and certification in the country Read more

A new analysis performed by FSC shows that PEFC certification does not automatically meet the FSC Controlled Wood criteria. Therefore PEFC certified material cannot be mixed into FSC-certified products without a proper FSC Controlled Wood risk assessment Read more

Its proponents hail the prospects for reducing deforestation, sequestering carbon, producing green energy and helping to solve hunger and poverty problems. Its opponents are concerned about the social and environmental impacts of its wide-scale use. Focus on "biochar" - charcoal produced from biomass - is growing Read more

Wake-up call to Spanish forest owners:  Spanish wood industries have released a manifesto asking for certification of more forests in Spain. The industries denounce the lack of certified wood supply on the home market and calling on forest owners to move forward with certification Read more

A revised version of the Spanish FSC forest management standard has been endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council. The new standard facilitates FSC certification of plantations, which may help to solve current problems of certified wood supply in the country Read more

The Group on Earth Observations is enlisting the help of the world's space agencies to build the world's most sophisticated system for monitoring of global deforestation - a major factor in global warming. The system is also expected to be used for identifying illegal logging operations Read more 

Consumers in the UK and Ireland can now get their favourite household milk, juice and liquid food brands - such as Princes, Ribena, Moo, and Rubicon - in forest-friendly packages.  Tetra Pak has announced a large-scale launch of FSC-labelled beverage packs in the UK and Ireland Read more

Pilot testing has proven the viability of a new model for FSC certification of European family forest that combines group certification of forest owners with independent certification of forestry contractors. Stora Enso Eesti AS now holds an FSC forest management group certificateas well as the first SmartLogging certificate issued in Europe Read more

The supermarket discount chain Lidl is today introducing FSC-labeled fruit juice and ice tea  cartons in all of its German stores. The certified cartons are supplied by major food and beverage packaging products company SIG Combibloc Read more

Global business magazine The Economist is rolling out PEFC labeling for all of its 1.4 million weekly copies. The first PEFC labeled magazines have been launched in the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands Read more

Staples - the world's largest office products company - has requested assistance from the Rainforest Alliance to to analyze and improve the environmental and social footprint of the company's paper supply Read more

Forest contractors from across Europe and other stakeholders of responsible forestry will meet on 13 October to discuss certification of contractors. This seminar - kickoff event of the project "Certification of Forestry Contractors" - will be a significant step on the road to building new systems that provide recognition for ‘green’ contractor services in European forests Read more 

Buyers of controlled wood from Chile should be aware of a new FSC-endorsed risk assessment  covering plantations in the country. The assesment shows that some counties in Chile are 'unspecified risk' for up to three risk categories, necessitating field audits Read more

The companies Thermocell and Danish Wood Insulation are introducing FSC-certified wood fibers as insulation material for homes. With its blend of properties, the  material has good prospects on the market for eco-friendly energy solutions Read more

A study conducted by WWF shows that FSC certification is an essential part of the recipe for long-term suvival of the great apes. Comparing different types of logging, the report found FSC certification to offer the best guarantee of good conditions for the apes Read more

The Lithuanian printing house PRINT IT can now offer FSC or PEFC labeled publications to its clients. With a certified printing house in Lithuania, all three Baltic countries can now boast certified printing houses as well as paper merchants Read more

Importers of roundwood from Russia will have more time to adapt to changed business conditions: Due to the financial crisis, the Russian government will delay its plans to raise export taxes on timber Read more

Subscribers to the Canadian national newspaper Globe and Mail can now read their daily news in good conscience:  A new procurement policy will ensure greener paper for the newspaper production. Among other key requirements, it sets preference for FSC fibres for vigin material Read more

FSC is inviting to join the first international FSC Friday, organized on 25th of September. FSC-International  and FSC-UK have started the ball rolling by inviting to events on FSC-Friday. You can visit the FSC office in Bonn, join numerous activities in the UK - or plan your own FSC Friday event Read more

Based on about 180 individual studies and papers, a new literature review presents strong evidence of the positive results of FSC certification – on the ground and in a wider perspective Read more

Help the FSC system to find out about its current market position: FSC has launched a new online market survey, and invites certificate holders and other stakeholders to contribute. The purpose is to establish the perceived market value of the FSC label on the marketplace Read more

For the first time in 10 years, the global FSC Principles and Criteria defining good forest management are under revision. A new draft version introduces new issues such as climate change and removes special requirements for plantations. Certification of small-scale operations and some other key issues are not addressed Read more

FSC has approved the world’s first national risk assessment for sourcing FSC Controlled Wood. The entire Australian continent is found to be low risk for three risk categories, while risks related to high conservation values and forest conversion need to be specifically considered  by companies buying controlled wood from Australia Read more 

What could be more appropriate than using FSC-certified, degradable material for the planting of trees? The company Ellegaard is experiencing global interest in its innovative and eco-friendly system for plant propagation in FSC-certified substrate pots made of paper Read more

One of the world's major companies for aseptic packaging, SIG Combibloc, has obtained FSC certification covering its European plants. The goal of the company is to have all of its plants - and ultimately all of its carton packages - FSC-certified Read more

Responsible beginnings: FSC is asking for inputs to a new advice note clarifying the role of  tree nurseries in FSC certification. While the idea of ensuring responsible production of seedlings for FSC-certified operations seems obvious, several issues need further consideration Read more

Italian consumers can now quench their thirst in PEFC-certified beer. The Italian brewery Gino Perisutti uses pine needles, spruce bark and mountain pine buds from local PEFC-certified forests to produce two specialty beers Read more

The international jewellery company Pandora is introducing FSC-certified bracelet beads made from timber originating in responsibly managed forests. With Pandora's global success and outreach, the venture is helping to bring the FSC trademarks closer to consumers around the world Read more

Use energy while supporting the world's forests: For the first time, FSC-certified biofuels are available from  a US producer and distributor of wood pellets. Curran Renewable Energy has obtained its FSC FSC chain of custody certificate from NEPCon's partner in FSC certification, the Rainforest Alliance Read more

FSC has developed useful webpages containing FAQ sections and updates about the FSC certificate search database www.fsc-info.org and the related online trademark system. The pages provide answers to many of the most common issues and questions from users  Read more

The final draft FSC standard for forest management group certification is now available for the last round of stakeholder comments. In this latest version, FSC has removed several obstacles to certification of smallholders Read more

As the first country in the Congo Basin, the Republic of the Congo has signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU. The VPA aims to ensure that any timber exported to EU from Congo will be legal  from 2011 Read more

Following the recent PEFC recognition of the Gabonese forestry certification scheme PAFC, tropical Asia now also has a PEFC-endorsed scheme: MTCS-certified wood products from Malaysia may now carry the PEFC label Read more

Forest certification seems to be taking off on the African continent. More than 6.5 million hectares are already FSC-certified in 12 African countries, the growth in certified forest area totalled 27% during the past 3 months. And the first forestry scheme in Africa has just been endorsed by PEFC Read more

While FSC certification is increasingly popular among printing houses, not many companies specialising in bookbinding have so far obtained a chain of custody certificate. But for Danish bindery D.L.Clément, certification was an obvious choice Read more

On 22 April, the European Parliament voted to back a proposal for strengthening of the EU legislation to curb illegal timber trade in the EU. The draft regulation obliges operators throughout the supply chain to take due care to avoid illegal timber products, installs tough penalties for violators, and calls for stricter monitoring by the authorities Read more

Norwegian printer Grøset Trykk is the first and only printing house in Norway to offer their clients printed matters carrying the FSC or PEFC label. According to Director Karin Hokstad Widerøe, this was a natural step for the company, which is the winner of several environmental awards. Grøset Trykk is now one among few pioneers of chain of custody certification in Norway, where FSC and PEFC company certification has been slow to take off Read more

The US Lacey Act adopted last year, implying firm requirements for due care by US traders to avoid illegal wood products, is already leading to a systemic shift in the practices of retailers, importers, manufacturers and logging companies. A pilot demonstration of verified legal trade in wood from Indonesia is now in place and may inspire similar approaches Read more

NEPCon's partner in FSC certification, The Rainforest Alliance, is the first FSC certification body to be fully accredited as a forestry verifier to VCS, a leading scheme for voluntary carbon mitigation verification. In partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, NEPCon is now able to offer a wider range of responsible forestry and climate verification Read more

The organisations behind the Global Forest Risk Registry - previously termed the Global Risk Assessment website - have now planned the next version: A Google Earth-like solution providing information on the risk of controversial forestry activities anywhere in the world. Sponsors are invited to support the initiative Read more

One of Europe’s largest pension funds, Danish ATP, is not afraid of investing in times of deep economic crisis. Not as long as the investment objects are forests managed according to the Fund's quality criteria, which are using FSC forestry certification criteria as the baseline Read more

In a new report, the organization Markets Initiative recommends that major paper consumers develop environmental paper policies specifying a preference for a combination of recycled, FSC certified wood and agricultural fibres. The report provides examples of succesful environmental leadership in the paper supply chain Read more

Illegal loggers in Brazil are facing trouble: According to a recent ITTO report, large-scale illegal logging operation has been detected in the Brazilian state of Pará. In another of Brazil's states, Mato Grosso, the authorities are now applying satellite image technology to fine violators Read more

By agreement with the Rainforest Alliance, NEPCon is now managing the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood Program in 29 European countries. This will enable NEPCon to coordinate certification efforts in countries with strong business interrelationships
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Based on suspicions of illegal logging, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced the cancellation of harvesting agreements for 13 million hectares of rainforest, corresponding to three times the size of Belgium Read more

As of 15 March, a new Chain of Custody standard applies to forest operations holding an FSC certificate issued by the Rainforest Alliance. The standard is part of an effort to streamline and facilitate the auditing process. As the standard includes the FSC requirements already in force, it does not imply any significant changes in the actual requirements for forest operations Read more

When many cars are produced, even the small parts make up a big volume. The Swedish car producer Volvo now pledges to demand FSC labelling for all of the more than 400,000 car instruction books that are produced each year for new Volvo cars

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With the latest FSC forest management certificate issued for the subsidiary company CEB in Gabon, the international wood trading company Precious Woods has achieved its commitment to have all of its concesssions FSC-certified. This enables the company to ensure a steady supply of FSC-certified timber to fulfil the increasing demands for certified wood, a trend which is especially pronounced in Europe Read more

The career path of Liza Murphy, Director of FSC Global Development, can’t exactly be described as usual. But what makes it truly exceptional is the success that she has created at every step along the road. We interviewed Liza Murphy to find out what drives her Read more 

Historical paper choice: All of the invitations sent out for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the US President carry the FSC label. The decision to use certified paper is a testimony to Obama's commitment to change, and in line with recent changes in US policies Read more

From May to September this year, NEPCon will be conducting a re-assessment of 20 Lituanian State Forest Enterprises covering a total of nearly 500,000 hectares. The decision to re-certify the Lithuanian state forests after completion of the first 5-year certification cycle confirms Lithuania's commitment to responsible forestry. Read more

A recent review has reconfirmed the FSC and PEFC systems as key certification schemes providing evidence for the legality and sustainability of timber. The schemes were re-assessed and endorsed as meeting public procurement criteria set up by the UK government Read more