Benefits of FSC certification

According to the independent Global Consumer Research Insights 2021, FSC is the world's most trusted and recognised forest certification scheme to protect the worlds forests.

56% of global consumers recall seeing the FSC label. No other forest-certification scheme tested came close. 

Results from the latest Global Client Survey 2022 show that over 75 per cent of Forest Management and Chain of Custody Certificate Holders and 70 per cent of Promotional Licence Holders are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with FSC.  

Many major companies have policies that state a preference for FSC-certified products. Green building standards provide incentives for using FSC-certified materials. Increasingly, consumers are requesting FSC-certified products in retail stores. Many governments require the use of FSC-certified products as part of their green public procurement policies. An increasing number of countries and regions - including the European Union, the US and Australia - have laws prohibiting the trade and use of illegally harvested timber and derived products. FSC certification can be used as part of your due diligence system to comply with the Mandatory European Timber Regulation (EUTR). 

Companies that produce FSC-certified products gain access to these markets, and many others.

FSC is an independent, member-led group organized into social, environmental, and economic chambers that have equal authority. Members elect the board of directors and vote on major decisions. Anyone committed to responsible forest management can become a member of FSC. This open and balanced approach is unique to FSC and ensures a diversity of perspectives are represented in decision making.

FSC's forest management standards expand protection of water quality, prohibit harvest of rare old-growth forest, prevent loss of natural forest cover and prohibit highly hazardous chemicals, which are all unique aspects of the system. For example, FSC prohibits the use of atrazine, which is otherwise legal in the US but banned in Europe because it has been shown to cause water pollution and birth defects. Other certifications allow atrazine use, including aerial spraying of the chemical.

FSC certification requires organisations to apply FSC core labour requirements to their certified business. These requirements apply to:

1. abolition of child labour,
2. elimination of all forms of forced labour,
3. elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation, and
4. respect for the freedom and right of workers to associate and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.

FSC requires forest managers - on both public and private lands - to engage local community members and to protect customary rights of indigenous people, ensuring their voices are part of the certification process and impacts of forest operations are addressed. In addition, FSC requires the results of certification audits to be released to the public, even on private lands, which makes FSC unique among forest certifications.