What Should Business Owners Know About the FSC?

Every business that wants to stand the test of time must listen to its consumers. Some trends come and go with viral videos or posts, but eco-friendly products and services are only becoming more popular.

Recent research shows that 80% of consumers prioritize sustainability when spending their money. Companies with certifications from organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) will stand out to those environmentally conscious consumers.

Business owners and industry experts should learn more about the FSC to better understand the benefits it could provide their companies. It may be what a brand needs to demonstrate its sustainable values and retain long-term eco-friendly consumers.

What Is the FSC?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a nonprofit organization leading efforts to protect and sustainably manage global forests. It’s certified over 500 million acres of forest worldwide, preventing harmful practices like illegal logging.

The nonprofit also has the technology to trace where felled wood comes from and take legal action against unauthorized deforestation, especially with satellites monitoring FSC forests.

A Brief History of the FSC

In 1992, environmentalists in community groups and businesses met at the Earth Summit to produce an international agreement against deforestation. The event was unsuccessful, but the failure to collaborate inspired the same attendees to create a market-based effort through the Forest Stewardship Council.

When the FSC started operations in 1993, it used its high blockchain, production and corporate ethics standards to hold businesses accountable for the planet’s well-being. It maintains its certification process with the same standards today, with the added help of technology like blockchain analysis and satellite imagery to verify companies and keep an eye on certified forests.

Why Do Forests Need Protection?

Trees contribute a wealth of materials to nearly every industry. Some manufacturers or organizations participate in illegal logging to gain more wood for things like selling rare wood species, building cheaper construction projects or selling land to companies looking to expand.

This practice is more common in some regions than others. Illegal logging accounts for around 80% of deforestation activity in Peru and 65% in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United States experiences minimal illegal logging, given its 150-year history of protecting national parks, but it also contributes to the problem by consuming large amounts of forest products.

When protected or unavailable forests disappear, the animal and plant life depending on them die off. At a time when climate change threatens all living species, saving the trees that absorb CO2 in the atmosphere and provide habitats is a crucial effort in fighting global warming.

Benefits of Getting FSC Certified

Companies can receive an FSC certification to build better rapport with their consumers and become green industry leaders. These are the primary benefits business owners enjoy after getting this certification.

1. It Means All Products Use Ethical Wood

Brands with the FSC logo communicate their ethical standings regarding wood product production. FSC tree products come from forests where it was legal to fell trees and didn’t harm local communities or wildlife.

Some FSC communities even replant trees so that deforestation doesn’t have a lasting effect on the surrounding environment, making the FSC-certified companies even more sustainable.

2. It Promises Ethical Employment

Sustainable consumers don’t want their products to harm the environment or local communities. FSC businesses abide by the certification’s standards for safe work environments and fair wages.

Consumers can rest easy knowing that they’re buying from companies that care for their employees in the ways that matter most.

3. It Communicates Care for Indigenous Communities

One of the FSC values is community rights. The organization meets with local Indigenous or Native communities to discuss what the surrounding land means to them.

The groups approve of how the FSC plans to respect the environment through its felling, replanting and protecting strategies, mitigating the negative effects of deforestation and reducing the harm it causes to surrounding communities.

4. It Showcases Care for Biodiversity

The FSC protects trees to accomplish more than fight atmospheric CO2. It also cares about the wildlife and plant life harmed by deforestation and global warming. The certification ensures that each approved company avoids felling any trees supporting threatened species when felling trees for manufacturing or construction.

What Is the FSC Certification Process Like?

Business owners interested in getting this gold-standard sustainability certification should start the process with a timeline in mind. They’ll need to contact one of the 11 FSC-accredited certification bodies in North America. A representative walks each applicant through the process, which includes steps like:

• Assurance Services International (ASI) conducts an oversight process to ensure the FSC meets its standards.
• When the FSC gets ASI approval, FSC teams audit the applicant based on its environmental standards. This includes background work on sourcing, manufacturing and production.
• If the applicant gets FSC approved, it can participate in the organization’s ethical logging practices and apply the logo on all products.

Outside and inside groups support the FSC’s certification process to ensure nonfavored results. It keeps both the FSC and its participating businesses equally accountable for their environmental stewardship.

How Long Does Certification Take?

The FSC certification process can take six to eight weeks to complete but may take longer for more extensive businesses. The background might need more time, depending on the applicant’s desired certifications. They break down into six options, including:

• Single site: For environmentally-conscious businesses with only one operating facility.
• Multisite: For sustainable companies with numerous operational facilities and a central office.
• Project: For a specific renovation, construction project or product.
• Group: For independent groups coming together as one organization with an environmentally conscious group manager.
• Reclaimed materials: For businesses aiming to verify their reclaimed wood products or attain them through FSC-certified companies.
• Controlled wood: For companies seeking approval for noncertified inputs to produce wood products.

Applying for one might fit within the six- to eight-week estimated window, but getting more than one could require additional time. The FSC-accredited certification body’s representative and FSC certification managers can assist with more accurate timetable estimates for each case.

Form Roots in a Sustainable Consumer Base

Eco-conscious consumers know they’re getting what they’re paying for when purchasing products with FSC certification labels. The FSC puts companies through rigorous background checks and internal investigations to verify their green production or sourcing strategies.

It takes a bit of time to achieve an FSC certification, but it ultimately helps businesses retain more of the ever-growing sustainable consumer bases in every industry.