FSC, PEFC, and SFI certifications demonstrate businesses’ dedication to environmental stewardship while combatting illegal logging and deforestation by encouraging responsible land management practices.
Prioritize products with recognized sustainability certifications. Create a sustainable procurement policy to communicate your expectations to suppliers and foster cooperation.
FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), founded in 1994, promotes sustainable forest management and production of lumber and wood products. They set rigorous standards that guarantee forests are managed in order to avoid over-exploitation of ecosystems and wildlife habitats while meeting harvest/replant criteria; these requirements benefit both homeowners and builders as it ensures logs/materials meet ethical practices when purchasing lumber products or logs/materials for building projects.
FSC also offers chain of custody certification, which allows businesses in their supply chains to manage certified and uncertified materials separately, while tracking how materials moved from forests to retail shelves. They can audit suppliers to make sure everyone abides by the ten principles outlined by this organization; certified FSC lumber can be easily identified by its distinctive “check tree” logo that can be found on thousands of product labels around the world.
At first, FSC provided standards that seemed truly exciting to environmental and social activists, including protecting animal habitats, indigenous rights and communities, workers’ economic and ecological welfare and restricting clear-cutting. Unfortunately, major North American timber companies were unhappy that FSC gave them such an influential voice in this process and formed their own rating system: Sustainable Forestry Initiative – thus keeping their profits and control intact in a market where profits could otherwise have dwindled dramatically.
Nowadays, you can still find the FSC check-tree logo on many products sold in home improvement and office supplies stores that feature sustainable wood or paper sources. The organization is actively trying to get its mark onto more products; to help achieve this goal they encourage you to ask retailers who carry these materials to carry it as well.
As demand for sustainable wood increases, so too do opportunities for landowners to earn premium prices for FSC-certified lumber. One way is through Northwest FSC’s Cooperative Marketing Program where timber producers are connected with building supply distributors who can serve as markets. Another avenue would be through FSC-approved mills which provide materials specifically certified by FSC for buyers who require FSC material in their projects.
PEFC
The PEFC label is an internationally trusted trademark that helps consumers identify products with sustainable forest credentials and select those with ethical forestry credentials. As well as this, PEFC also plays an active role in advocating responsible and ethical forestry practices and standards such as biodiversity conservation and forest management practices that comply with local regulations and national standards; their third-party accreditation system serves small forest owners specifically by meeting their specific needs within countries and regions.
More and more businesses along the forest supply chain are showing their dedication to curb deforestation and preserve biodiversity, either due to legal and regulatory obligations or simply wanting a competitive edge by providing assurances of sustainable practices to customers. One way of accomplishing these goals is through PEFC Chain of Custody certification.
CoC certification provides a tool that allows timber and engineered wood products, along with their raw materials, to be traced back to their certified origin. This process involves implementing a due diligence system and creating clear lines of communication between certified companies and their suppliers; this helps prevent forest-based material being diverted from illegal sources and ensure that all PEFC logo-bearing materials come from certified forests.
PEFC CoC certification is open to any company processing and selling forest-based materials, such as sawmills, secondary manufacturers, brokers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and paper merchants. Furthermore, multisite certification may also be obtained under one certificate.
PEFC logo-bearing timber and engineered wood products indicate that efforts have been taken to plan and construct structures with healthy forests in mind, and this approach can be used to gain additional credits towards meeting BREEAM environmental performance standards as well as green building procurement programs such as LEED in North America, Built Green in Australia and CASBEE in Japan.
PEFC-certified timber can be found in many forms of home furniture, from wardrobes and bookcases to beds and dining tables. Even smaller items, like ornaments or picture frames can be made using this wood type. Ask your builders to purchase materials with PEFC labels when building your log home.
SFI
If you want to ensure the wood used in your log home was harvested sustainably, look for products bearing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification – one of the most recognizable wood certification programs in America. Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) may also be suitable – both organizations mandate responsible forest practices by harvesting professionals as well as monitoring chains of custody to verify if it came from a certified forest meeting SFI standards.
FSC and SFI are independent third-party organizations, working closely with many different individuals and groups to meet their goals. This includes forest industry workers, conservation organizations, resource professionals, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, educators as well as others who wish to learn about forests and how to best manage them responsibly. Both FSC and SFI oversee programs which teach people more about forests’ importance while offering solutions on how best to care for them responsibly.
SFI was established in 1994 and is the largest single forest certification system in North America, covering over 370 million acres across both Americas. Their forest management standard promotes biodiversity conservation, water quality protection, prompt regeneration of forests and prohibiting logging old-growth forests while restricting chemical pesticide usage. Mills and manufacturers certified under SFI must meet this standard via third-party assessments conducted onsite by accredited inspectors.
SFI-certified companies must comply with stringent requirements for responsible forest management as well as supporting environmental, social, and governance values. This may involve supporting forest education efforts as well as community and urban sustainable forestry programs; working collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples; or adopting climate resiliency practices to adapt to climate change impacts.
SFI-certified timber is used in an assortment of products, from paper to building materials. An increasing number of homeowners are opting for products made from SFI certified timber due to its financial, ecological and social advantages; SFI’s mission is to bridge people and nature by encouraging responsible forestry practices and sustainable supply chains.
SFI’s certification program is expanding into new fields of the economy, such as biophilic design and sustainable construction. Already it has collaborated with multiple Habitat for Humanity affiliates to supply them with building materials meeting their sustainability standards, while companies like BA Collective Studio promote green building techniques.
EUTR/UKTR
As soon as it took effect in 2013, the EUTR was an unprecedented policy change, being the first legal instrument on a European scale to compel businesses to conduct due diligence checks within their supply chains. While previous timber regulations focused on legality alone, EUTR goes further by asking businesses to assess whether goods associated with deforestation. Furthermore, businesses are obliged to keep records on all suppliers and buyers in their supply chains.
EUTR has made significant impactsful impacts on business practices within the timber industry, leading to some companies changing their business models or investing in technology to mitigate risks of deforestation. Furthermore, monitoring organizations were established to assist companies complying with its regulations by offering operational due diligence systems.
Although the EUTR has had numerous positive impacts, it has also received considerable criticism for failing to tackle the root causes of deforestation in high-risk countries. But an initiative by the EU to establish a centralized information system that assigns deforestation risk levels for each individual country may help address this problem and give citizens access to information regarding product sourcing as well as whether their origin may involve deforestation.
In 2021, the UKTR will replace the EUTR and has similar requirements to meet when placing wood and wood products on the market. Furthermore, it provides a framework for its enforcement while encouraging global forest governance practices. Timber importers are obliged to conduct risk evaluation and mitigation actions at supplier level by either requesting more documentation, conducting on-site inspections with scientific testing techniques or replacing suppliers entirely.
Compliance with the EUTR/UKTR is a critical element for luxury brands that prioritize ethical sourcing and sustainability. By showing that their products do not support illegal logging and deforestation, luxury brands can reinforce their image among conscientious consumers while raising environmental awareness. By working with partners who comply with EUTR/UKTR laws, legal penalties for noncompliance may be avoided altogether.
