Partnerships: Forest Stewardship Council

Improving forest management globally

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization that provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.

Founded in 1993, FSC's mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests.
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Origins of a close collaboration
The FSC was set up by a diverse group ranging from the forest industry to NGOs. They included environmental groups such as WWF, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace; indigenous forest dwellers; professional foresters; big retailers such as Sweden's IKEA and the UK's B&Q; and large and small forest companies.

In the 1980s, images of large swathes of clear-cut forest in Canada and the Amazon made world headlines, leading to calls for timber boycotts.

But it rapidly became clear that boycotts were not an effective solution.

Many countries need to use at least part of their forests to generate income and jobs. If they can't sell timber, the temptation is to cut down the forests and replace them with agricultural crops.

Shaping a solution to deforestation
So a more sophisticated response appeared: how about labelling timber from forests managed according to specific standards and promoting it in the market? In other words, why not use market-based incentives to encourage good forest management? Thus the birth of FSC back in 1994, by what, in those days, was deemed to be unlikely bedfellows.

Shared values and goals
As a founding member of the FSC, WWF believes in the importance of proper forest management as a means of conserving the 90% of global forests that lie outside of protected areas. WWF and the FSC have the common goal of promoting responsible forest management practices.

Promoting FSC globally
WWF has been an active promoter of FSC's certification efforts. For WWF, credible certification provides a guarantee of legal and responsible forest management to forest industries, timber trade, consumers of forest products and other stakeholders. FSC is the only forest certification system currently available that meets WWF's criteria. Through its Global Forest Trade Network (GFTN), WWF has been developing relationships with industry aimed at promoting forest certification through FSC.

Working at both consumer and industrial levels
Part of WWF's work to encourage FSC certification include efforts to promote the label. In the Netherlands for example, WWF joined FSC, DOEN Foundation and 30 companies, including major DIY retailers, timber importers and processors to carry out a campaign to target consumers.

In Switzerland, awareness campaigns by WWF and the WWF WOOD GROUP, an alliance of Swiss businesses to promote FSC, have helped increase recognition and awareness of the FSC label, pushing demand for FSC-certified products.

The FSC label's increasing recognition was reflected in sales generated by businesses in the WWF WOOD GROUP. In 2003, they sold FSC products for CHF 67 million - 50% more than in 2002.