Which certification system to use

... and what to look for

Forest certification is an important tool to improve forest management. Yet neither is it a universal remedy to solve the world's forest crisis, nor can it replace regulations and legislation. However, it can and should complement these tools.

The role forest certification can play depends on the strength of the certification system. The key to improving the way forests are managed through forest certification is the credibility and quality of a certification system.

Requirements for credible certification
Certification is a process by which an independent third party provides written assurances that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements.

To be effective forest certification must:

• Be based on objective, comprehensive, independent and measurable performance-based standards - both environmental and social;

• Be based on equal and balanced participation of a broad range of stakeholders;

• Be based on a labelling system that includes a credible chain of custody;

• Be based on reliable and independent third party assessments and include annual field audits;

• Be fully transparent to the parties involved and the public;

• Take place at the forest management unit level (and not at country or regional level)

• Be cost effective and voluntary;

• Positively demonstrate commitment from the forest owner/ manager towards improving forest management;

• Be applicable globally and to all sorts of tenure systems, to avoid discrimination and distortion in the market place.

Currently only the FSC meets these basic requirements and gives buyers the choice to obtain forest products from legal and well managed sources.

Make your own judgement about certification schemes

• Behind the logo (2001)
  An in-depth report of the four biggest forest certification schemes (CSA, FSC, PEFC & SFI) analyses the strengths and weaknesses of each scheme and aims to provide companies, governments and NGOs with the facts needed for informed decision making. Download (PDF) 1.48MB
  
  
• On the Ground. Forest Certification: Green Stamp of Approval or Rubber Stamp of Destruction? (2003)
  A report by ForestEthics, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club of Canada confirms FSC as leading certification system. The report looks at forest certification systems in America today (SFI, CSA and FSC) and shows that at a time when many forest companies claim that their logging operations are independently certified as sustainable, the gulf between words and actions is vast. Access the report on http://www.forestethics.org
  
  
• Assessing Forest Certification Schemes: A Practical Guide (2002)  R. Nussbaum, S. Jennings and M. Garforth with input from Patrick Armstrong, Pierre Hauselmann, Sophie Higman, Markku Simula and Nancy Vallejo. This practical guide identifies and discusses the features which make a forest certifications scheme reliable and effective providing users with a sound basis for making their own assessment of a particular scheme. Download report (PDF) 291 Kb
  
  
• Views of companies, decision makers and forest owners about FSC