The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. Since its foundation in 1994, FSC has grown to become the world’s most respected and widespread forest certification system.

And why should we care about it?

Quickly Some facts:

1.            Paper accounts for 26% of waste in landfill.

2.            According to the WWF, The Earth loses 18.7 million acres of forests per year, which is equal to 27 soccer fields every minute.

3.            According to the WWF, an estimated 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.

So what does the FSC do to combat this?

FSC forest management certification confirms that the forest is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. There are ten principles that any forest operation must adhere to before it can receive FSC forest management certification. These principles cover a broad range of issues, from maintaining high conservation values to community relations and workers’ rights, as well as monitoring the environmental and social impacts of the forest management.

They also ensure that the integrity of FSC certified material is maintained along the supply chain, ensuring that it is separated from non certified material as well as ensuring that the companies that deal with this product fall under strict guidelines that meet FSC manufacturing certification level. Only with that accreditation can the FSC label be applied to the end product. And because FSC is the holder of 5 different registered trademarks you can be absolutely certain that any product you receive with the FSC accreditation stamp on it has been sourced responsibility and with an eye to securing a greener/cleaner planet for future generations.

Source: https://anz.fsc.org/what-is-fsc