Consumer research has found that company sustainability claims are much more credible when they are coupled with independent verification. Put simply, consumers trust when you verify. This is especially true when it comes to forests.
Forests provide the air we breathe and water we drink, they are home to 80 percent of terrestrial biodiversity and they serve as vast stores of carbon, mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. Yet we all use forest products every day, raising concerns about the many competing demands on the forests that literally support life on Earth.
So, what’s a company or consumer to do? That’s where the Forest Stewardship Council enters the picture.
At its heart, FSC is the world’s most-trusted forest certification because we’re the only one managed through a transparent democratic model – inclusive of economic, social and environmental stakeholders – all under the same umbrella, and all with equal authority.
As the only label of its kind trusted by both international environmental and social NGOs, as well as many of the world’s biggest and most progressive brands, FSC’s members collaborate to set and evolve our world-leading forest management standards. And our uniquely credible Chain of Custody certification provides for traceability throughout product supply chains so purchase of products bearing the FSC label can be trusted to actually support responsible forest management.
At the forest level, FSC’s standards are uniquely credible in regard to:
• Prohibiting conversion of natural forests to plantations or non-forest uses (deforestation)
• Limiting clearcut sizes to protect forest ecology
• Requiring forest growth to meet or exceed harvest levels
• Protecting ecological values associated with High Conservation Values (HCVs), including rare old growth
• Protecting Rare, Threatened and Endangered species beyond that which is required by law
• Restricting the use of hazardous herbicides and pesticides, such as atrazine
• Protecting indigenous peoples’ resources, legal and traditional rights, and areas of cultural significance
• Requiring local community and other stakeholder engagement on all certified lands, whether public or privately owned
• Ensuring certification claims are only allowed when associated with certified forest inputs or independently verified recycled material
Even as society’s recognition of forests’ role in fighting climate change grows, evidence that FSC-certified forests store more carbon than those managed conventionally is also growing. For example, recent research in Oregon and Washington found that FSC-certified forests always stored more carbon than a business as usual approach.
In short, FSC offers consumers and companies a simple, effective way to do the right thing by forests, by the environment, and by future generations. That is why the world’s leading brands in all forest product industries - from furniture and construction to office paper and tissue – are increasingly committing to FSC. And increasingly, FSC partner brands are also stepping forward to tell the public about their commitment to FSC, creating a virtuous cycle of both responsible forest management and increasing market advantage.
Introducing the FSC US Marketing and Business Development Team
FSC is newly partnered with Sustainable Brands to help companies transform their approach to production and use of forest-based products. Our approach is customized and intended to meet companies wherever they are on the sustainability journey, from initial certification and trademark guidance, to supply chain transformation and marketing consulting.
First and foremost, our partnerships are built on trust and relationships. To foster that outcome, we want to introduce our marketing and business development team in the US:
• Chris McLaren is FSC’s Chief Markets and Marketing Officer, with more than 20 years of consumer and business-to-business marketing and sales experience.
• Roger Taylor is the US South Regional Manager, bringing 20 years of experience in the forestry sector to efforts supporting companies in the region.
• Aubrey McCormick is the US West Regional Manager, building on a career that includes professional golf, an MBA in Sustainable Management, and a decade of CSR consulting with sports organization and Fortune 500 companies.
To learn more about FSC and explore how to take your next step in responsible sourcing, we encourage you to reach out to the FSC team. We are here to help.