Forest Stewardship Council Update
4/15/97
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Headline: Forest Stewardship Council Update
Source: Forest Stewardship Council, A.C.
Avenida Hidalgo 502
68000 Oaxaca
Oaxaca
MEXICO
tel: +52.951.46905, 63244
tel/fax: +52.951.62110
e-mail: FSCOAX@antequera.antequera.com
FSC WWW site: http://antequera.antequera.com/FSC/
Date: 4/15/97
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) signs new accreditation
contract
This week FSC Executive Director Dr Timothy Synnott signed
a new accreditation contract with the Dutch organisation
Skal. The accreditation covers all forest types worldwide.
Skal is the fifth certification body to be accredited by
FSC.
This is good news for everybody who cares about the well
being of the world's forests. FSC's aim is to improve
forest management worldwide and fight the deterioration of
the world's forests. 57 forests, comprising a total of
over 3 million hectares of land have been certified by the
FSC accredited certification bodies as being well managed.
Their products with the FSC label are now appearing in
major retail outlets in Europe and the United States.
'I am especially excited about the accreditation of Skal',
says FSC's Executive Director Timothy Synnott, 'as it will
expand the certifying capacity in one of the key markets
for timber products in the world. I am confident that this
will be a major boost to importers and retailers in the
Netherlands who are committed to stocking FSC-labelled
products.'
Skal is not new in the field of certification. They have
been active in organic produce certification for many
years and carry out certifications in many countries over
the world. The first certifications carried out by Skal
are all located in the Netherlands, amongst which is the
Queen's forest.
However, evaluations are expected soon in countries as far
apart as Surinam, Gyana, Costa Rica and Hungary.
Six other organisations have applied for FSC
accreditation, from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica,
Germany and Sweden. Steps are being taken by FSC
to develop certification capacity in the Asian and African
regions as well. The increasing interest in FSC from
established certification bodies as well as other forest
stakeholders shows that forest certification is here to
stay.
For more information, please contact FSC's Information
Officer, Eleonore Schmidt at the above mentioned address.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council was founded in 1993 in
response to the concerns of groups from environmental,
social and economic backgrounds about the continuing
decline of the world's forests. FSC is an international
coalition of organizations and individuals with a stake in
forestry issues. The mission of FSC is to support
environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and
economically viable stewardship of the world's forests.
FSC is accomplishing this goal by evaluating, accrediting
and monitoring certification bodies, and by strengthening
national certification and forest management capacity
through training, education, and the development of
national certification initiatives.
FSC's international accreditation programme became
operational in February 1996, with the signing of
contracts with the world's first 4 forest certification
bodies. These are: Rainforest Alliance and Scientific
Certification Systems (SCS) from the US and SGS Forestry
and Soil Association from the UK.
FSC does not certify forest products itself; rather it
ensures consumers that certification organizations have
the highest level of credibility and integrity. FSC
provides this assurance by evaluating, accrediting and
monitoring certifiers of forest products based on their
adherence to the FSC principles and criteria of forest
stewardship and guidelines for certifiers. The FSC
principles and criteria apply to all types of forests.
They are designed to allow flexibility in their
application through the development of national and
regional standards, which fit ecological, social, and
economic circumstances. The principles and criteria
provide consistency among certifiers and a framework for
developing local and national forest management standards.
FSC is an international operating NGO, registered in
Mexico. FSC is a membership organization, with the General
Assembly as the final authority of the association. The
first general assembly was held on 27 - 29 June 1996 in
Oaxaca, Mexico. The membership is divided in 3 different
chambers with equal voting weight: the social,
environmental and economic chamber. A Board of Directors,
with nine members, is elected by the members. The
composition of the Board of Directors, and the FSC's
decision making procedures, are designed to ensure a
balance between commercial, environmental and social
interests, and between northern and southern interests.
The total number of members is now over 180 organizations
and individuals in 36 countries.
FSC also promotes forest stewardship by encouraging the
development of local forest management standards
worldwide. The development of these standards must be an
open, consensus-based process which involves consultation
with affected stakeholder groups. At this moment local
initiatives are established in t 25 countries, including
Brazil, Bolivia, Belgium, Papua New Guinea, Sweden,
Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Products originating from FSC endorsed forests are
eligible to carry the FSC Trademark. The FSC Trade mark
represents a half tree, half tick with the initials FSC
underneath. The FSC trademark is internationally
registered and its use is controlled by legally binding
contracts. A wide range of product lines bearing the FSC
Trademark is now appearing in the market place.
Contact: Eleonore Schmidt, FSC Information Officer
Forest Stewardship Council, A.C.
Avenida Hidalgo 502
68000 Oaxaca
Oaxaca
MEXICO
tel: +52.951.46905, 63244
tel/fax: +52.951.62110
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