FSC – Frequently Asked Questions
Who or what is the FSC?
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. In addition to the international office in Bonn, there are country offices worldwide. With globally valid standards, the unprecedented involvement of all relevant interest groups and the support of well-known companies as well as recognized environmental and social organizations, FSC is recognized as the most credible solution for sustainable forest management. The certificate is awarded by independent third parties and is reviewed annually.
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What are the goals of the FSC?
The aim of the FSC is to contribute to improving forest management worldwide. FSC sees itself as a platform on which representatives with different interests in the forest can come together and reach a consensus on responsible forest management.
Management standards are developed from this consensus and mechanisms for the marketing of forest products produced accordingly are derived.
The most important tool for marketing such products is labelling them with the FSC label.
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Who is the FSC certification for?
Forest certificates are issued to forest owners whose management practices meet the requirements of the FSC forest standard. Forest certification ensures that the forests are managed according to ecological and social criteria.
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Manufacturers and retailers of FSC-certified wood and paper products receive chain of custody certificates. In order for the FSC symbol to appear on the end product, all stages of the product chain, from the forestry operation to the last processing step, must be certified according to FSC standards.
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Who doesn’t need FSC certification?
All,
who do not produce their own FSC products but only want to promote them
who only sell FSC products to end users and/or use or consume them in their business activities
who no longer convert, modify, repackage or relabel these products
For these purposes, an FSC advertising license is sufficient .
Who awards the FSC certificate?
Certification is carried out by independent certification bodies. FSC does not issue certificates itself, but our office will be happy to help you with any questions that arise.
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Is certification carried out according to the same standards worldwide?
Yes and no. The basis for certification and all FSC standards are the internationally uniform principles and criteria of the FSC. However, since the national standards must be specified in each country, standards with different indicators can arise that reflect the ecological, social and economic conditions of a country. National FSC working groups are obliged to compare and harmonize their FSC standards with neighboring countries.
However, with the development and dissemination of the forest certification instrument, the standards will converge in the medium term.
The product chain standard FSC-STD-40-004 is valid worldwide in the product chain .
What is the difference between ISO and FSC certification?
ISO certifications help a company to improve its management and ensure the quality of its products. The certified company sets its own goals. The certificate cannot be applied to products.
The FSC certification is limited to forest management, which requires compliance with the FSC regulations. The processing companies are not required to provide any environmental performance, only proof of a closed supply chain.
The FSC label with the individual number of an FSC-certified company can be attached directly to the products.
ISO and FSC certification are not mutually exclusive. However, they cover different areas. In various areas, the two systems can complement each other perfectly.
Who is the FSC advertising license for?
For all,
who do not produce their own FSC products but only want to promote them
who only sell FSC products to end users and/or use or consume them in their business activities
who no longer convert, modify, repackage or relabel the products
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What is the FSC’s stance on genetically modified organisms?
FSC generally prohibits the use of genetically modified tree species. Exceptions to this are not possible.
Is FSC destroying primary forests?
The FSC is sometimes accused of being indirectly responsible for the destruction of primary forests. This is wrong. The opposite is the case. FSC certification prevents overexploitation of primary forests. However, the FSC allows for the sustainable use of forests. The basic character of an unused primary forest area is thereby partially lost and replaced by a near-natural form of forest use. However, this does not happen across the entire area. FSC certification of forest areas requires the demarcation and special protection of high conservation value forests (HCVF). Before an FSC certificate is issued, it must be checked whether corresponding forest areas exist.
The FSC’s main concern is to balance protection and use aspects in forests. The core element of the regulation is, on the one hand, to protect areas with high biodiversity and, on the other hand, to protect large, intact forest areas with an original species composition. In addition, rare forest ecosystems or forests with great cultural significance must be protected. Any management in HCVFs is subordinate to this protection goal. FSC has developed an HCVF toolkit with which forests that are particularly worthy of protection can be identified worldwide according to uniform criteria.
Although HCVFs are also designated in Germany (e.g. national parks), the regulation is of much greater importance in regions without extensive legal protected area categories.
The FSC concept is simple: wood is a sustainably grown raw material that in many cases can withstand competition from oil, plastic or aluminum. In order to achieve this, the use of wood should be enabled and promoted according to clearly defined rules. The FSC accepts that not all of the world’s forests can and should be taken out of use completely.
Currently, around 200 million hectares of forest worldwide are certified according to FSC standards (Nov 2019). Around 64% of these forests are semi-natural forests. Around 19% of all FSC-certified areas are in the tropics.