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About the Forest Stewardship Council - FSC
FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote
the responsible management of the world’s forests.
FSC has offices in more than 46 countries. It provides standard setting, trademark assurance
and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible
forestry.
Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they
come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of
present and future generations.
FSC certification is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last
decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide. Why is this and what prior
efforts have been made?
Concerns and large-scale public debates about the state of world’s forests escalated
globally in the 1980’s and led to a gridlock between different stakeholders fighting about
environmental, social and economic interests. Initiatives from governments and international
organizations did not manage to reduce forest destruction worldwide and the need to
substantially improve forest management practices persisted.
In the late 1980’s, tropical timber boycotts proclaiming to save the last tropical forests,
not only failed, but worse, caused opposite effects in many cases. Conversion of forests
to more economical land uses continued and in some cases accelerated.
The clear need for an effective mechanism to improve forest management and conservation
worldwide was further emphasized in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development in Rio de Janeiro. The World Summit in Rio de Janeiro agreed that progress
towards sustainable development is the shared responsibility of social, environmental and
economic interests although no legally binding commitments were agreed.
Disillusioned by the continuous failure of international negotiations progressive forest
industries, social groups and environmental organizations came together to develop an
alternative solution. Rather than boycotting poor practices, they wanted to use market
forces to promote socially beneficial, environmentally appropriate and economically viable
forest management.
For the first time, leading social, environmental and economic players from the Global
South and Global North joined in an international process with equal and equitable voices,
decision-making powers and responsibilities and founded FSC. To this day, FSC provides a
platform for these different interest groups to work together in a dynamic environment where
each interest group has a voice and an equal say.
Since its inception countless stakeholders around the world have worked with the FSC in its
equitable participatory processes in support of responsible forest management. However, also
since its early days, FSC was often criticized by conservative industries which did not
believe in sharing decision-making with social and environmental stakeholders. Much like
conservative industries, some environmental stakeholders believe that confrontational
campaigns are a more appropriate conservation tool than equitable participatory
solutions-oriented approaches. FSC will continue to try to engage conservative industries
as well as confrontational NGOs in its approach.
FSC believes that it is part of the solution for the conservation of natural forests and
that a full set of different complementary conservation strategies are necessary to protect
and maintain the world’s forests.
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