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FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
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| LABEL REPORT CARD |
| How meaningful is the label? |
Is the label verified? |
Is the meaning of the label consistent? |
Are the label standards publicly available? |
Is information about the organization publicly available? |
Is the organization free from conflict of interest? |
Was the label developed with broad public and industry input? |
| Meaningful |
Yes |
No1 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
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1. Since a consumer may see up different FSC labels, it may be confusing; each label must be checked carefully for its specific meaning
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LABEL CATEGORY:
Social Responsibility, Sustainable Wood |
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WHERE YOU'LL FIND THIS LABEL:
 WOOD
PAPER
: paper
WOOD
: beds - red oak, bender boards, bird feeders, bird houses, bookcases - red oak, cabinets, cedar, chairs - dining, chairs - rocking, construction timber, decking, doors, fixtures - store, flooring, furnishings - outdoor, furniture, furniture - fine, furniture - patio, guitars, gum, hardboards - duratex, hardwood flooring, logs, lumber, lumber-various types, moulding, paneling, paneling - architectural, particle board, pencils - cedar, plywood - hardwood, redwood logs, roof trusses, sawlogs, sheathing, siding, tables - dining, trim, under layment, utility poles, veneer, windows, wood, wooden handles for tools
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WHAT THIS LABEL MEANS:
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international accrediting organization that has developed standards to certify wood harvested from "well-managed" forests and wood products made from FSC certified wood. The FSC was founded in 1993 by the World Wide Fund for Nature, environmental and conservation groups, the timber industry, the forestry profession, indigenous peoples¹ organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from 25 countries. The FSC is headquartered in Oaxaca, Mexico although it has regional offices worldwide. In addition to the Forest Management Program, FSC also offers a Chain of Custody Program that accounts for how the certified wood is managed once it leaves the forest.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredits certifying organizations to certify wood against the 10 principles (with criteria) developed by FSC. These principles include environmental, social and economic impacts of the forest industry. Genetic engineering is not allowed. However clearcutting and preservation of old growth forests are only addressed in a general way without specific requirements. Workers have the right to organize.
FSC has three distinct labels, "FSC-pure or FSC 100%," "FSC-mixed" and "FSC-recycled." "FSC pure or 100%" indicates that 100% of the product comes from FSC certified forests. The other labels certify mixed-wood, fiber-based content of products, but not all of the fiber is required to be FSC-certified. "FSC-mixed" can mean a variety of combinations of FSC certified materials or wood or fiber from "well-managed forests" and post-consumer recycled material, that together, must total 70% of the content material. However, "well-managed forests" is a determination made at the discretion of FSC. "FSC-recycled" means that products contain 85% to 100% of post-consumer recycled content.
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CONSUMERS UNION EVALUATION:
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program supports sustainable wood and socially responsible labels. There are a set of updated principles and some quantitative criteria that must be evaluated by Consumers Union. FSC has had some challenges including a fluctuating minimum standard for fiber-based content of products, including particle board and furniture, that are FSC-certified. FSC had described their initial lowering of the standard as a way to increase market involvement, however, this practice can decrease the meaning and clarity of the FSC label and can mislead consumers.
Environmentalists have raised concerns regarding the practicality of FSC certification in developing countries where companies may not be able to afford to be certified.
The standards have also been criticized (even among FSC certifiers) for a blurred distinction between a plantation and a natural forest, potentially allowing natural forests to be cleared for plantations.
Some members of the General Assembly of the FSC do have a vested interest in the products that are certified and have voting rights on FSC standard making decisions. This means that the voting authority of the FSC has conflicts of interest and is not completely independent from financial interests in products being certified by FSC. In addition, some General Assembly members actively participate in promoting FSC certified products to national markets.
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PROGRAM NAME:
FSC - Forest Management and Chain of Custody |
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ORGANIZATION NAME AND CONTACT INFO:
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
212 Third Avenue North, Suite 280
Minneapolis, MN
55401
Phone: 703.438.6401
Fax: 703.438.3570
URL: www.fscus.org
Email Contact: info@fscus.org
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ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
HISTORY
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was founded in 1993 by the World Wide Fund for Nature, environmental and conservation groups, the timber industry, the forestry profession, indigenous peoples’ organizations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from 25 countries.
FUNDING
The FSC is funded by foundations by the Austrian, Dutch and Mexican governments, European Commission, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, WWF-Netherlands, IUCN (World Conservation Union) Netherlands and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation), membership subscriptions, licensing fees and accreditation fees. The FSC accepts membership dues but does not accept donations from the forest industry.
STRUCTURE
The FSC’s highest governing body is the 439 member “General Assembly.” Anyone can join provided they pay membership fees. Members are divided into 3 classes (social, environmental and economic) that each have a 33.3% voting power. Within each voting group there is another split for Northern versus Southern countries (developed versus non-developed). A 66.6% vote must be reached in order for the General Assembly to initiate a decision.
The General Assembly is headed by the chairman of the FSC board. The board of directors is made up of nine individuals (structured as the General Assembly with 3 main groups and divided in north / south) who are voted for a 3 year term and must be members of the FSC. Commercial enterprises that are not users of FSC certification may not participate on the board. Regional FSC Board of Directors, Working groups, Advisory Boards and Technical Committees are also formed at the national level. However, final decision regarding changes to the FSC principles and standards are still left to the international FSC body. If there is a regional FSC office, it is primarily responsible for developing regional standards and evaluating the local certifying organization and would then receive a final approval from the international FSC office. The standards described in the Label Criteria section are the proposed standards for the United States. The FSC plans to release the final version of these sometime in 2001.
ACCREDITOR
The FSC has accredited several international certifying organizations and two certifying organizations in the United States: The Rainforest Alliance’s Smartwood Program and Scientific Certification Systems Forest Conservation Program (FCP).
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LABEL STANDARDS AND CRITERIA DETAIL:
click here for label standard - criteria test and analysis
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
For a list of the current Board of Directors, click here.
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