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With the development and spread of the Covid-19 virus, the year 2020 has been unlike any other in remembrance. Both personal and business relationships have been redefined by the “new normal”, calling for new visions and a degree of adjustment by all of us.

Despite the initial wave of lockdowns in Europe accompanied by a ban on international trade - which has without sympathy affected the wood and paper sectors of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia (a region that is export-oriented mostly towards Italy in terms of wood products), it seems that this year more than before, companies from the wood and paper sector are demanding FSC Chain of Custody certification. The most noticeable market expansion was achieved in Serbia (with the stunning 25% growth of certified companies) and Croatia (with the respectable 10%growth), whilst the total expansion of certified companies across the Adria-Balkan region managed to outperform previous, non-pandemic 2019. Recent research by Klaric et al. (2016) corroborates that a growing number of issued CoCcertificates speaks to certification's significance within the wood industry. 

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To better present newfound motivations behind a recent demand for CoC certification, we have approached companies from Serbia and Croatia that have decided to become FSC certified for the first time in 2020. From their responses, three main reasons for obtaining CoC certificate have been distinguished (across both countries):

  1. Many organizations are demanding CoC certification to enhance their corporate social responsibility and access the ever-expanding green market segment.
  2. A growing number of final consumers from the Adria-Balkan region are starting to make responsible consumer decisions and demand products with FSC labels. 
  3. Finally, one of the strongest drivers behind the growing demand for CoC certification remains to be the market, or in other words - direct buyers other than final consumers. 

Additionally, these responses have been confirmed by Mrs. Ivana Dimitrijevic, a representative of a certification body. She states: "The wood industry in Serbia is mainly export-oriented. Serbian companies have recognized the importance of FSC certification and by obtaining the certificate they are trying to increase their competitiveness in the EU market. There is also a growing awareness of forest protection and environmental protection in Serbia."

Thank you to all the new certificate holders that participated in this questionnaire. To find out more information about all newly certified organizations from Adria-Balkan region, please visit the Public FSC Database. 

But, if you want to get a quick taste of some of the newly certified organizations from Serbia and Croatia, continue reading short interviews we made! 

Prikaz nekih proizvoda Velprom d.o.o. organizacije
Velprom d.o.o.

Velprom d.o.o. became the holder of FSC CoC certificate in November 2020.
 

  1. Reason for choosing FSC certification for my organization:
    Given that we have been operating in the cardboard packaging market for 27 years, we believe that it is very important to take care of the environment and thus our future. We strive for our products to be made from FSC certified materials and in this way we ensure to use raw materials that have a proven origin. We realizedthat it would be good to spread this idea and information, and make our customers aware of the importance of nature conservation, and we certified some of our products, which proved to be an additional market advantage.
  2. The main certified products (product groups) we offer:
    Our FSC certificate states the following: production and sales of packaging and promotional products, FSC 100%, FSC Mix and FSC Recycled. Our product groups covered by the FSC certificate are: floor and counter racks, pallet covers, totems and cardboard packaging, and wooden floor stands and packaging.
  3. A few words about the certification process from our own experience:
    The decision came naturally. We have been on the market for a long time and we already have some knowledge and experience in the certification process. We use the services of an external consultant who introduced us and took us through all the details and the procedure itself, and the preparation of documentation was not demanding and we solved everything quickly.
  4. My organization is focused on:
    Velprom is mostly oriented to the Croatian market where we place our products. We also regularly export to neighboring EU members and are slowly making inroads into the entire European market.
Vibac Balcani d.o.o.
Vibac Balcani d.o.o.

Vibac Balcani d.o.o. became a holder of FSC CoC certificate in July 2020.

 

  1. Reason for choosing FSC certification for my organization:
    Our company has always been sustainability oriented, today more than ever we are taking concrete actions to support the circular economy. This is what led us to focus more and more on paper tape production for masking and packaging adhesive tapes, hence the choice of FSC. We wanted to produce our paper tapes with raw material from renewable sources to reduce the environmental impact and contribute to the correct use of renewable sources.
  2. The main certified products (product groups) we offer:
    The certified products we offer on the market are paper adhesive tapes used mainly for masking in the construction, car refinishing and packaging sectors.
  3. A few words about the certification process from our own experience:
    We made the decision on FSC certification in December 2019, in the desire to provide clients around the world with the opportunity to choose products from socially and environmentally responsible forestry companies. We got into this project very quickly. Like any start, this one was a little harder as well, but with the full support of the consulting company and certification body, we reached the desired goal in a short time. Finally, we have received an FSC certificate on 14.07.2020. and thus became involved in the promotion of environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry.
  4. My organization is focused on:
    Our organization has been on the market for 50 years and operates internationally in more than 130 countries with offices and production plants in Serbia, Italy, Canada and South Africa.
     
Toma palete d.o.o.
Toma palete d.o.o.

Toma palete d.o.o. became a holder of FSC CoC certificate in March 2020.

 

  1. Reason for choosing FSC certification for my organization:
    The reasons for choosing FSC certification include market demand, environmental awareness, corporate social responsibility, and gaining market advantage over other suppliers.
  2. The main certified products (product groups) we offer:
    The main certified product we offer is the NEW EPAL FSC pallet 1200x800 which we produce under EPAL license no. HR-001.
  3. A few words about the certification process from our own experience:
    We received the certificate very soon after the decision and the beginning of the certification process, without any major problems. We received concrete answers and useful advice from the FSC consultant as well as the certification body, which later performed the audit.
  4. My organization is focused on:
    Our company is oriented to the national, European and international market.