As part of our commitment to the future of life, living and livelihoods, we are continually looking at ways we can become more sustainable as we, as a business, strive to reduce our impact on the planet. As a result, we are transitioning our printed marketing literature to use paper from FSC certified forests, using the FSC tick tree logo to confirm this.
In this article, we take a look into what FSC means and why it is so important to look after our forests...
Who are the FSC?
The FSC is the Forest Stewardship Council, a registered charity who work to define and implement rigorous certification standards for the management of the world’s forests to help ensure we have ‘Forests For All Forever’.
The FSC do this to maintain and enhance biodiversity and ecological processes, as well as protect and maintain natural communities and high conservation value forests. From the social aspect, it aims to protect the rights of workers, communities, and Indigenous Peoples while respecting the economic viability of forest management operations, by building markets, adding best value, and creating equitable access to benefits.
This all comes together to mean that when a piece of timber leaves an FSC certified forest, companies along the supply chain have been fully vetted and audited against FSC best practice standards.
The FSC system then allows businesses and consumers to identify and use wood, paper and other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests by the use of a FSC tick box logo – such as displayed on the Millboard brochure.
“The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) shall promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests.”
What is an FSC certified forest?
FSC-certified forests can be found all over the world, certified against strict standards based on their 10 Principles of Forest Stewardship, undertaken by independent organisations.
Each certified forest must be managed according to these 10 Principles, which includes rules such as complying with local laws and regulations, maintaining, or enhancing the social and economic wellbeing of workers and maintaining, conserving and restoring ecosystems. You can find out more about the ten FSC principles here.
What items can be FSC Certified?
FSC certified products aren’t only for paper packaging and printed materials, it’s also used in building and construction, fashion, furniture and even items made from bamboo. The FSC certification logo provides consumers with peace of mind that a wood-based product has been sourced ethically and sustainably.
To find out more about the FSC and the work they do to ensure Forests For All Forever, click here.
