FSC – huh?

Have a look at the back of a utility bill envelope lately and chances are you have seen the FSC logo. Bought furniture at stores like Ikea or Jysk? You may be the proud owner of FSC certified furniture. So, what does this mean, and why should we care?

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international organization formed to promote responsible management practices for the world’s forests. In the FSC’s own words: “FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry.”

When it comes to paper making and printing, FSC provides chain of custody standards and accreditation. So, in theory, here’s how FSC Chain of Custody certification is supposed to work: independent third parties audit the forest, the paper manufacturer, the resource for recycled materials and the printer to make sure that each handler of the forest product is adhering to the standards set. Standards cover everything from forest management, material sourcing, record keeping, storage controls, production controls, and even sales and delivery.

In theory, a good system. FSC Canada claims that when consumers purchase an FSC certified product, they can trust in the fact that they are buying a product that has been produced under a strict set of environmental and social international standards and verified by an independent third party. Sounds great, right?

Well, I won’t get into the Forest Management certification debate, but there are organizations on both sides of the FSC fence. WWF, CPAWS and Greenpeace are in the “for” camp, others are against. One organization, FSCwatch.org was formed for no other reason than to act as a global watchdog. They report on transparency issues, certification complaints and activities that appear to go against the “international standards” set by FSC. I think a big part of the problem is that standards are set nationally and regionally, not internationally. Love it or hate it, FSC is the fastest growing certification of its kind globally. And, as with any standardization, process or organization, it’s not perfect.

I believe the Chain of Custody certification is useful because somewhere in FSC’s databases there’s documentation tracing the materials right back to the source. It would be more helpful, FSC, if consumers had the ability to trace the materials used in the paper they have purchased. Right now, a COC certificate number on a product can only be traced back to the printer on FSC’s website, not back to the paper manufacturer or the source of the pulp.

Each buyer has to decide for his or herself whether FSC is another case of greenwashing. Personally, I like the idea that someone has checked that my business cards (FSC certificate # SW-COC-000952), printed on stock claimed to be made with 100% post consumer waste, has come from an audited source and has verified the content to truly be 100% post consumer waste. I just wish I could find that information in the FSC database for myself.