FSC UK Forest Matters Nov 2015 Public Edition by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) UK

Forest Matters FSC UK News November 2015

Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Overview Contents

Dear Reader,

2 News in Brief 3 FSC Friday

7 20 Years of FSC UK 9 Timeline 11 UK Forests 12 A postcard from... 13 Trees that Talk 16 Product Focus 17 CPET 18 Global Strategic Plan 19 Case Study 21 Trademark Consultation 22 Paper Changes 23 Competition & FSC in numbers

If there was one symbol to sum up this issue, it would be the humble spatula, the first ever FSC labelled product, and one that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see us brandishing in the form of commemorative versions, supplied by T&G Woodware (see Product Focus on page 16), at our 20th anniversary event on pages 7 and 8. A great range of FSC certified products are now available - soon even some wetsuits will carry the tick-tree! FSC Friday, our annual celebration of forests, was marked in the UK, and 30 other countries around the world, by a huge raft of FSC certified businesses and other organisations, pages 3 to 5 provide an overview of events in the UK. Two important consultations come to a close last month: UKWAS, the FSC endorsed UK forestry standard, and that on the core FSC Chain of Custody standard. This month sees the launch of another consultation on a key document, the Trademark Standard for Certificate Holders (p. 21); make sure you have your say by 31 January 2016. The new Global Strategic Plan from FSC International is detailed on page 18, and includes an ambitious target to more than double our share of global forest-based trade in the next five years. So, having celebrated our achievements to date, we are not resting on our laurels, but instead relish the challenge of striving harder and faster towards our ambition of Forests For All Forever.

Rosie Teasdale Executive Director, FSC UK

UK Celebrates FSC Friday

News in Brief

Find out how FSC Friday 2015 was celebrated across the UK and beyond.

p18

Delivering Forests For All Forever: A bolder, stronger, more effective FSC

p11

Is FSC certified forest area in the UK increasing or decreasing? Despite data showing a clear decrease in the number of UK forest management (FM/CoC) certificates (as group schemes become the preferred means of achieving certification), there has been a slow but steady increase in the UK certified area.

FSC International has released a Global Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The plan declares the intention to more than double FSC’s share of global forestbased trade in the next five years, to 20%

From spatulas to swimming pools: FSC UK at 20 In October 2015 FSC UK celebrated its 20th anniversary at an event at the London Aquatics Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. p17

FSC Continues to Meet Public Procurement Criteria for Timber The UK Government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) has found that the FSC certification scheme continues to meet the criteria for the United Kingdom’s Timber Procurement Policy (TPP).

We’re moving!

p21

Public consultation: Trademark requirements for FSC certificate holders

FSC UK will be moving to new premises (but still on Great Oak Street in Llanidloes) next month. We will endeavour to ensure that any disruptions to service during the move are kept to a minimum.

All stakeholders are invited to comment on the first draft of the revised FSCSTD-50-001 by 31 January 2016.

FSC Friday Organisations throughout the UK celebrate FSC Friday 2015 View our full publication by clicking here!

Credits for above: © Soil Association, Smurfit Kappa, CYAN Group, Snows Timber, John McMahon, RAFT Furniture.

FSC Friday was a great success with UK organisations celebrating by holding events which included competitions, presentations, dressing in green and making cakes. The day aims to increase awareness of the importance of responsible forest management, focussing on their environmental, social and economic benefits and the key role they play in our lives. Several organisations got in touch straight after the event with photos and a summary of their celebrations. The Soil Association Ltd, Bristol had two stands in ‘The Bear Pit’ in Bristol, a spokesperson commenting: “The Forestry team at Soil Association Certification thoroughly enjoyed our open day held for FSC Friday! We organised two stands in the Bearpit in Bristol together with One Tree per Child, the tree planting project of Bristol 2015 European Green Capital, which is planting 36,000 trees – one for each primary school child in Bristol. There was a big display of all the different types of products you can buy FSC certified as well as activities for kids, competitions and giveaways. A fun day in the sun!” 3

RAFT Furniture, London an FSC certified company based in London, took part by creating a window display and living moss wall: “For FSC Friday, we installed our FSC reclamation story into the Raft Tottenham Court Road branch alongside a living moss wall. In addition to this, we had an evening event with drinks and snacks in order to celebrate the importance of this day. This was a huge success and the response meant that we were able to effectively spread the word about the Forest Stewardship Council and their independent certification of our methods of production and the route to retail. It was both an enjoyable evening, and a great way of spreading the word about such a good cause!”

White Rose Primary School / Ysgol Rhosyn Gwyn completed pledges and raised money for FSC: “White Rose Primary School had a great day wearing green and completing pledges plus lots of tree based activities. We also raised £109.00 for FSC UK.”

Snows Timber Ltd gave its builders merchant and timber merchant customers small packets of Spruce tree seeds, to help make them aware of FSC and the importance of sourcing timber responsibly. Marketing consultant Camilla Hair commented:

A global Thunderclap, (a crowd-based platform that tweets/posts one single message at once) was organised by FSC Canada and successfully reached 509,316 people.

FSC Friday was celebrated by 31 countries around the world.

“FSC Friday has given all those involved in the wood supply chain a chance to show that it is possible not only to have but to enjoy the connection with responsiblysourced wood and wood products.”

Other organisations that participated included: Precision Marketing Group, SCA Timber Supply UK, Eclipse, Impress Print Services Ltd, Doorset Technology Ltd, BAM Construct UK Ltd, Warren Evans, Exova BM TRADA, Cyan Group Ltd, Board24, Silva Timber, Simons Group Ltd, Havwoods Limited, Sir Robert McAlpine, Century One Publishing, Real adventure through sport, McCue Crafted Fit For a full list of the organisations that participated please visit the UK map. 4

View our PDF! A number of organisations got in touch with photos and summaries which we have consolidated in a publication which you can view and download by clicking here

A Global Celebration FSC Friday 2015 was celebrated globally by countries all around the world with those participating including national FSC offices, local schools, groups and stakeholders, with important affiliations made between, government, business and education.

Argentina held the FSC Friday at the Bio Park Temaikèn in Buenos Aires where children learned about Forest Stewardship Council, recognised the logo on products and posed next to a frame with the new brand. Indonesia celebrated FSC Friday for the first time with an event in the CityWalk Sudirman Mall in Jakarta. Many parties were involved including TetraPak, IDH, WWF Indonesia, Teh Kotak, SIG Combibloc, Tessa Tissue, Green Community, and Telkomsel. Events included an FSC certified products exhibition, press conference, drawing competition, presentation, talkshow and singing! To read more about how FSC Friday was celebrated globally, you can visit the FSC Friday international website here where you can view all updated summaries and photos.

FSC Argentina & FSC Spain hold events with local children

Other countries that took part include Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Guatemala, Taiwan, Mexico, Finland, Canada, Russia, Latvia, Chile, Czech Republic, India, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Ukraine, Brazil, Australia, Denmark, CIS Countries and New Zealand. Are you interested in registering for next years FSC Friday? Next year’s FSC Friday will be held on 30th September 2016. Should you be interested in taking part, we have a collection of information, photos and ideas to stimulate your thinking and planning. Click here to get inspired!

WHILE YOU LOOK FOR THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS, WE’LL HELP YOU LOOK AFTER OUR FORESTS. Our forests give us many things, including the packaging on our supermarket shelves. FSC® helps take care of forests and the people and wildlife who call them home. So you can keep your life full of forest products while keeping our forests full of life. Choose FSC.

FSC® F000100

20 Years of FSC UK From spatulas to swimming pools: On 14th October FSC UK celebrated our 20th anniversary at an event at the London Aquatics Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.

The event kicked off with the Annual Members’ Meeting and was followed by entertaining and illuminating speeches by Peter Bonfield OBE, Chief Executive of the BRE Group, and all those who have served as Executive Director of FSC UK: Hannah Scrase, Anna Jenkins, Nick Cliffe, Charles Thwaites MBE and current Executive Director Rosie Teasdale. Attendees were presented with commemorative spatulas (kindly donated by T&G Woodware) to celebrate the milestone, echoing the first ever FSC labelled product to be produced and sold: a spatula sold in the UK. The Aquatics Centre, part of the first ever dual FSC/PEFC certified project – the London 2012 Olympic Park – and its whalelike roof of FSC certified Red Louro provided a perfect backdrop to show how far FSC has progressed over the past two decades. To read the full article, see more photos and access our press release click here.

Peter Bonfield OBE commended the unparalleled collaboration of those involved in the sustainable timber procurement process for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

FSC certified products, including a wealth of different timber species and products for home, garden and office are now widely available in the UK.

Executive Directors of FSC UK past and present, Hannah Scrase, Anna Jenkins, Rosie Teasdale, Nick Cliffe, Charles Thwaites MBE.

London Aquatics Centre featuring FSC certified Red Louro roof.

Guests enjoyed reminiscing about the successes FSC has enjoyed and the challenges it has overcome in the last 20 years. © M. Crossick

20 Years of FSC UK

15,000

UK Forestry Commission achieves FSC certification for all of its 800,000 hectares of forests UK

hectares certified in the UK

1st FSC certified project – Westside Apartments, Ilford

to FSC standards

1st FSC UK, the first FSC national office, is founded

Valentines Day 2011

National Trust

1.5

receive FSC forest certification

BBC Wildlife Magazine – world’s 1st consumer magazine printed on FSC certified paper

1st FSC labelled

product (wooden spatula, UK)

FSC formally recognises UKWAS standard

(over 50%) hectare of forest in the UK FSC certified

(35%) of the UK’s forests FSC certified

FSC certified venison appears on Sainsbury’s shelves – UK’s 1st FSC certified food product & world’s 1st FSC labelled meat product

to FSC standards GLOBALLY

The Crown Estate receives FSC forest certification

2005 2003 2001

2000 1999 1995 9

1994

1998

Global C

65.4 mil

Global C Global Certified Area:

20.7 million hectares UK Chain of Custody:

202

4154

UK Chain

434

300 million cubic metres of FSC certified wood are harvested each year, making up 8% of total world wood production (FSC) London 2012 Olympic Park and Athletes’ Village receive FSC Project Certification

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows printed on FSC certified paper - the largest single FSC paper order (valued at $20 million).

180

££££££££££££ FSC retail sales in the UK = 1.7 billion (Ethical Consumer Report)

52% of timber and panel products produced in the UK and imported are FSC certified (TTF Timber Certification Report)

CoC

FSC CoC Certificates worldwide

2012

FSC CoC certificates in UK

2011 2010 2007

2006

Certified Area:

llion hectares

Chain of Custody:

2015

2014

2013

2000

500

certificates around the world

CoC

50% of people surveyed in the UK recognise the FSC logo

1,000 20,000 +Forest management

First consumer awareness survey reveals that 19% recognise the FSC logo

FSC UK celebrate 20th anniversary

50%

1.7 billion

19%

es K

More than 180 million hectares of forest worldwide are managed according to FSC standards

Global Certified Area:

176.7 million Global Chain of Custody:

25,723 UK Chain of Custody: 2331

Global Certified Area:

134.6 million hectares

184.3 million hectares

Global Chain of Custody:

18,714 UK Chain of Custody:

2054

28,948 UK Chain of Custody:

2351

n of Custody:

UK Forests Is FSC certified forest area in the UK increasing or decreasing? FSC UK Forest Standards Manager, Owen Davies looks at the data. Over the last couple of years Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard a number of people suggest that there has been a decline in the FSC certified area in the United Kingdom, which was at odds with our own information and with the steady trickle of enquiries we received from woodland managers seeking certification or even considering setting up new forest management group schemes. The chart below summarises information on the number of forest management certificates in the UK and the total area they cover, which is freely available from the FSC International website by clicking here. This information is itself a summary of data from the FSC certificate database, accessible by clicking here. These data show a clear decrease in the number of forest management (FM/CoC) certificates as group schemes become the preferred means of achieving certification. From a high of 85 certificates in the spring of 2012, the number has declined to just over 40.

At the same time there has been a slow but steady increase in the UK certified area, driven mainly by changes in group scheme membership. In February 2012 the area was just under 1.58 million hectares; by October 2015 it was just over 1.62 million hectares. A few anomalies in the data are caused by delays in updates to the certificates database. There is a spike in June 2013 when a change in certification body caused the area of one group scheme to be counted twice, and there are dips in June 2014 and April 2015 due to delays in recording certificate renewals. No doubt there are many smaller and less obvious anomalies caused by delays in updates to group scheme membership,

for instance, but the overall trends remain clear. It’s important to note the difference between FSC figures for the total area of forest management units, including non-wooded habitats and infrastructure, and Forestry Commission figures (accessable by clicking here) which as far as possible only include the wooded area. Naturally, these figures show a smaller certified area, which has increased from 1.37 million hectares in March 2012 to 1.38 million hectares in March 2015. These figures suggest that forest management units are, on average, about 86 % wooded, with the remainder including habitats like grassland, heathland, bogs and non-wooded riparian areas.

consumed by sawmills has remained more or less steady at around 80 % for the last ten years. The percentage used by fencing manufacturers is lower and more variable, but in 2014 reached a high of 69 %.

An increase in the certified area does not automatically equate to a commensurate increase in the volume of certified timber. Forestry Commission forecasts (accessable by clicking here) predict various peaks and troughs in overall timber availability over the next fifty years due to the age structure and management of public and private forests. Forestry Statistics 2015 shows that the percentage of certified volume

Forest management certification isn’t just about timber production, of course, but for many the yield of certified timber and timber products is one of the most important and tangible outputs. Our aim remains to give as many woodland owners as possible the chance to achieve certification and to strike an appropriate balance between timber production and other aspects of responsible forest management.

A Postcard from...FSC Spain FSC Spain will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year and has seen big changes since it was founded in 1996. Spain is one of the top 10 countries for rate of Chain of Custody certificate growth, public awareness of FSC in Spain has also grown significantly, and currently stands at 30%. However, despite us having 18 Million hectares of forest we only have 200,000 hectares certified to date. To increase this figure, we are working with smallholders, inviting them to join with others in certification groups, we also continue to work The team at FSC Spain: Gonzalo Anguita, Silvia Martinez, Lorena Guerra & Marcos Estevez with large landowners, where Mediterranean forest is less dense and used for grazing animals such as pigs, sheep and cork harvesting. In these areas we still need to work to incent ivise landowners by helping them to gain benefits for their certification - we need to convince them that they can rely on us to help increase value in their markets. © FSC Spain

Our wishes for 2015 are on one hand to be become relevant for landow ners and stimulate growth in our supply chains (with main focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) rather than big exporters), and on the other hand to be mainstream for the average consumer and not perceived as something for green lovers alone. It’s worth mentioning that we have just finished a big campaign with a large retailer in this country, ‘El Corte Inglés ’ which has brought much excitement due to its great success. Our team consists of 4 people, and the challenges and expectations are big enough to think that our staff numbers will perhaps grow in the near future.

Trees that Talk Communications Assistant Julien Price uncovers the hidden world of plant communication.

When we take an enjoyable walk amongst trees, most of us are probably oblivious to the sophisticated communication happening around us. I should be clear that I am not talking here about the kind of audible communication of the ‘Ents’ in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, but rather the diverse and complex bio-chemical interconnectedness that enables trees to communicate key messages to neighbouring trees and potentially other species. Richard Karban, one of the first interplant communications scientists, published two studies in 1983 that demonstrated that willow trees, poplars and sugar maples infested by an invasive insect attack, could warn neighbouring un-infested trees to release protective chemicals1, triggering what could be described as a tree’s immune response. Since this ground-breaking (and at the time controversial) study, more recent controlled studies have made it increasingly clear that plants are certainly capable of communicating. Karban 13

comments: ‘It is now well established that when bugs chew leaves, plants respond by releasing volatile organic compounds into the air [to repel them].’ By his last count, 40 out of 48 studies of plant communication confirmed this and there is now recent evidence to suggest that their abilities stretch further, into even more sophisticated territory. ‘Plant Signalling’ pioneer Ted Farmer from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland has discovered a previously unrecognised system of electrical pulses and a voltage-based signalling, staggeringly suggestive of the human nervous system.

‘It’s pretty spectacular what plants do. The more I work on them the more I am amazed,’ comments Ted Farmer. Does this mean we can begin to consider plants’ inner systems as parallel to that of humans? According to Ian Baldwin, an ecologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, it would be unwise to do so. Baldwin emphasises that we should avoid anthropomorphising them and goes on to suggests that if anything, we should actually ‘phytomorphise’ ourselves to better understand plants, stepping into their shoes (or roots!), attempting to see things from their perspective. Taking this approach might help us to relate more closely to the world of trees and plants and deepen our respect and connection to them, whist at the same time increase our awareness of the important role they play in our everyday lives. ‘We don’t do justice to them when we try to put their fascinating, alien biology into human terms,’ notes Ted Farmer. How does this body of growing evidence fit within the context of responsible forest management? The hidden sophistication to the interconnectedness of plants could have an influence in the way forests are managed in years to come. Scientists are currently exploring how the evidence could be utilised to improve crop resistance to invasive pests. In a 2011 report2, it was discovered that ‘direct plant defence traits may have become lost during crop breeding and could be valuable in new resistance breeding for sustainable agriculture.’ If we transfer this is to the ecology of forests and plantations, we could see some increase in ‘nature driven’ pest control and a decrease in the use of ecologically harmful pesticides. This is not to suggest that pesticide intervention will one day no longer be required – it is just opening the prospect of utilising the inbuilt natural defences and mechanisms of trees with the possibility of achieving a more sustainable, self-regulated forest ecology. Both Ted Farmer and plant hormone expert Clarence Ryan from Washington State University stated in a 1990 paper, ‘If such signalling is [indeed] widespread in nature it could have profound ecological significance’. Every green

plant studied in a recent control was shown to release its own combination of volatile chemicals that communicated not just with other plants but with insects too. We now know maize crops attacked by beet army worms release chemicals that attract wasps to lay eggs in the invasive pest, thwarting their success.1 Challenges to the evidence. Despite the strong and encouraging evidence, questions are being asked as to why a plant would waste its energy warning or supporting its competitors? This question stimulates discussion about the very nature of intra- and inter-species competition. The evidence could be pointing towards a more complex balance between interdependence and dominance than previously thought. Trees studied in a North American forest for example were shown to inter-depend on a mycorrhizal fungus, a network of thin strands surrounding their roots that enabled them to share resources with other species of tree. When she shaded one douglas-fir tree, carbon-based sugars would flow into it from the paper birch next to it and vice versa. Rather than competing for resources, these two trees appeared to be using fungal networks to share them, says Dr Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist from the University of British Colombia who conducted the research. Another challenge posed is the question of what degree of significance the communication has to the life and survival of the plant in nature. Further research is required to establish this and we can only look forward to the results. © M. Rothman / Mother Earth News

Artist impession of mycorrhizal fungus in context, couresy of Michael Rothman with Mother Earth News

‘Remove any one of these components and your forest eco-system will go into decline,’ Redmond suggests.

Mycorrhizal short roots of pine seedlings courtesy of Jim Deacon, The University of Edinburgh

The relationship between trees, insects and ecology In the Feburary 2015 edition of Forest Matters, Ian Redmond, a wildlife biologist specialising in primates and elephants, discussed in his ‘Animals and Forests’ feature the important role forest wildlife has in pollination and seed planting. He highlighted the complex and ancient relationship between animals, plants, microbes and fungi, further emphasising how essential their co-habitation was in maintaining a healthy and sustainable forest ecosystem.

The evidence of plant communication further clarifies this picture. We can begin to see how this sophisticated network is working on a cellular, hormonal and chemical level. As we walk through a forest, consume wood products or even fell a tree, there is a lot going on that we can be oblivious to. The research conducted by scientists such as Karban, Farmer, Ryan and Simard not only elevates our awareness, but may provide compelling evidence convincing enough to influence future ecological and environmental methodology.

Sources: 1. ‘The Secret Language of Plants’; Mc Gowan, Kat; Quanta Magazine; 16/12/2013; 2. ‘Maize landraces recruit egg and larval parasitoids in response to egg deposition by a herbivore’; Multiple Authors; Wiley Online Library; First Published 10/08/11; 3. ‘Do trees communicate with each other?’; Multiple Authors; ABC Science; 20/06/2015;

Product Focus

Company: T&G Woodware Ltd

What’s next? With Far East prices rising to match European production, we have the opportunity to extend our ranges coming from European factories. These days our range includes FSC certified cork, a forest product derived from the outer bark of the cork oak. It is used in products including table mats, coasters and hot-pot stands, offering a broad variety of potential applications. It is an ideal renewable product as the tree regenerates its stripped bark every 10 years.

License Number: FSC-C002465 Certified since: 1999 Product: Kitchen Woodware Label: FSC 100% / FSC Mix

Why FSC? Well in advance of our certification date, T&G were in correspondence with WWF personnel who helped drive the FSC project forward. We have been a brand leader in Kitchen Woodware since 1984, something that incentivised us to act responsibly and make our stance visible long before our customers started to make the FSC mark a stipulation.

Customers. Key customers include John Lewis, Lakeland, Dunelm and Debenhams and we also supply to garden centres, many specialist cookware shops, giftware enterprises and the catering industry, where serving food on wood is very popular and also hygienic. T&G also export about 10% of our turnover to the same industries. In 2014 we introduced a range of beechwood boards designed by Sophie Conran with the FSC mark. When we embark on these projects, FSC is always one of the first criteria. The wooden peppermill was invented in 1840 but, it is only now that the wooden body is offered with the FSC mark.

T & G are able to offer a range of wood products that we know have bona fide FSC certification, in contrast to to unsubstantiated claims sadly still common throughout the market. Integrity is important to T&G and it is disappointing that there are not more producers who are taking a more responsible view. On the up side however, this means we have reduced competition, which allows us to offer better, higher quality products without the pressure of producing against lower prices.

Knowledgebase. An important part of our knowledgebase is a series of reports produced in the United States including one by Wisconsin University entitled “The Microbiology of Wooden Cutting Boards for Food safety”. These reports show clearly that there are chemical mechanisms in wood that inhibit the growth of bacteria and are available from T&G on request. At a retail level our point of sale text summarises the full reports in bullet format. We believe these reports have encouraged the use of wood in serving food throughout the catering industry.

Product photos courtersy of T&G Woodware Ltd

Great books can chanGe the world. books printed on Fsc® certiFied paper do. Our forests give us many things, including books to inspire us. FSC® helps take care of forests and the people and wildlife who call them home. So you can keep your life full of forest products while keeping our forests full of life. Choose FSC.

FSC® F000100

CPET UK Government Confirms: FSC Continues to Meet Public Procurement Criteria forTimber

“Our high scores in CPET’s latest assessment demonstrate the strength of the FSC system, and our compliance with the TPP will only help drive demand for FSC-certified material in the UK.”

The UK Government’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) has found that the FSC certification scheme continues to meet the criteria for the United Kingdom’s Timber Procurement Policy (TPP).

Since 2004, CPET assesses FSC certification every four years for compliance with the UK Government’s legality and sustainability criteria. In 2014, the criteria were amended to align with the European Union Timber Regulations (EUTR). CPET’s most recent evaluation, which included public consultations with stakeholders, concluded FSC certification achieved scores of 100 per cent for legality criteria and over 90 per cent for sustainability criteria. By using FSC certification, public sector procurers and suppliers of timber can demonstrate their compliance with TPP requirements (Category A).

This means UK public sector buyers and suppliers can continue to use FSC certification to meet the necessary standards for both legality and sustainability when purchasing timber. “We’re happy to see that the UK Government continues to recognize the important role of FSC certification in advancing sustainable sourcing of timber in the public sector,” says FSC UK Executive Director, Rosie Teasdale. 17

Details of the assessment can be found on the UK Government website.

Global Strategic Plan Delivering Forest For All Forever: A bolder, stronger, more effective FSC FSC International has released a Global Strategic Plan for 2015-2020. The plan declares our intention to more than double our share of global forest-based trade in the next five years, to 20 per cent.

“The three strategies that make up the strategic plan acknowledge FSC’s three core areas of focus – streamlining the FSC standards framework and governance; increasing the value of FSC in the marketplace; and the transformation needed within FSC to excel in these two core areas. We look forward to working with all our stakeholders and creating many new alliances over the next five years to make our strategy a reality,” concluded Mr Carstensen.

“Entering into our 22nd year we know we have to be bold in our vision. Our membership, and our 30,000 certificate holders, have committed to working with us as we grow. But FSC is a market tool, and we can only achieve our mission if enough of the market is working towards the same goal. By aiming for 20 per cent we are choosing to take a leading role in shifting the global forest trend toward sustainable use, conservation, restoration, and respect for all,” stated FSC Director General, Kim Carstensen. The strategic plan was developed through consensus by the FSC International Board of Directors, and included extensive consultation with FSC staff, members, and stakeholders.

“While the Board was the primary driver in setting our future direction, the mandate to develop this strategy comes from our members. I firmly believe the final version of the plan is a reflection of the aspirations and priorities of all those who work with FSC. It builds on our unique and defining quality as a convener of diverse groups, and outlines the steps we will take to shift the market towards responsible forest management,” said Mr Carstensen. The new FSC Global Strategic Plan 2015-2020 has an emphasis on increasing FSC certification in tropical countries, and providing voice to those most affected by mismanaged forests – Indigenous Peoples, workers, communities, women, and smallholders - while meeting the needs of our current certificate holders.

Case Study CJ WildBird Foods Ltd (CJ Wildlife/Vivara) discusses their FSC Chain of Custody Certification CJ WildBird Foods Ltd was founded in 1987 on a farm in rural Shropshire by Chris Whittles, a lifelong ornithologist and wildlife enthusiast. Along with a varied selection of bird foods, the business now offers a wide variety of high-quality wooden products including nest boxes and bird boxes, hedgehog houses, squirrel houses and frog bunkers, as well as insect habitats and bat boxes.

As well as within the UK, the company also operates in nine other European countries under the CJ Wildlife/Vivara brand and is recognised as one of the market leaders in the research, design and development of wildlife food and associated wildlife care products. The company, which employs close to 200 staff, was an early adopter of FSC – first gaining FSC certification in 2003 – and as Sue Ellison, (Quality Management Systems) QMS Administrator at CJ WildBird Foods explains, the driver from the outset was to give their customers choice. She said: “From the outset we believed it was important to source FSC certified products, if we could, especially as we produce ‘nature friendly’ products. It gives customers the choice to buy products knowing that they are benefitting, not damaging the environment. 19

“This is likewise very important for our trade customers. We supply to garden centres, supermarkets and department stores and we know that they are keen to project themselves as environmentally friendly and have environmental policies which necessitate the purchase of FSC certified goods.” Sue adds that since the company first secured FSC certification, demand has steadily increased among consumers.

“FSC is a well-recognised and long-standing forestry product certification, and consumers would most likely know that it supports ‘friendly wood’ and appreciate the ethics that FSC stands for.”

“In the world today, it’s clear that it is more important than ever to manage forests responsibly. Being FSC certified is one way we can contribute to this and the trend is definitely moving in the right direction. In 2013, 64 per cent of our wooden product sales were FSC certified. In 2014, this had risen to 73 per cent.” CJ WildBird Foods Ltd has multi-site FSC certification that covers operations at all five of their sites. These comprise the designated ‘Central Office’ in Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, which includes the head office trade and mail order storage and distribution with a trade and mail order storage and distribution also in the Netherlands, in Venray and Vierlingsbeek; and two sites in Lithuania. For certification, CJ WildBird Foods Ltd opted for the FSC Transfer System – one of three chainof-custody systems available. Under this system, FSC certified material is separated from noncertified material at all times during the entire production and sales process including storage, handling, and processing. “With the FSC Transfer System we buy in FSC certified goods and those products are then sold on with no further modification. They come to us ready to go,” Sue explained. Given the size of the company, and high volume of wood-based products sold across the UK and Europe, Sue has found the most time-consuming aspect of certification concerns administration and archiving. She said: “We need to make sure our FSC products conform to the chain of custody standard and make regular checks to ensure our suppliers’ certification is intact. We do this by using the FSC database which is a quick and simple process. “We need to produce a product group schedule and monitor all invoices and purchasing orders, following strict guidelines so that paperwork includes the names and addresses of suppliers, registration addresses and certification codes, and the correct terminology.

“We make the FSC requirements as clear as possible to our suppliers so FSC goods are clearly identified both at their end and ours.”

Since January this year CJ WildBird Foods Ltd has been certified through world-leading multisector certification body BM TRADA. BM TRADA auditor John Kirkby commented: “On the basis of the findings of the audit, the client’s multi-site system appears to be effectively managed and resourced. “We also rely on BM TRADA to approve our use of the FSC logo on our marketing material such as our websites and catalogues and as we deal in many languages we feel this is managed very effectively,’ comments Ellison. “During both audits, all staff who have responsibilities within the FSC system that were interviewed demonstrated a sound understanding of the relevant requirements of the FSC standards and how they were applicable to their areas of responsibility.” Certification is valid for five years and is maintained through a programme of annual surveillance audits and a re-certification audit in the fifth year before the certification expires. Sue added: “The audits are quite tough and there will always be a few issues identified, mainly with errors in the paperwork that are swiftly rectified, but we are well-versed on what is expected and work honestly to ensure we stay within FSC regulations. “Things have become more complex since we first became certified but we appreciate the reasons for this. The FSC has to work incredibly hard, clamping downing on potential criminality to ensure that no-one can get around the system. “I would definitely recommend FSC certification, but my advice is to do your homework. There’s a lot of administration but there are regional FSC offices which are always willing to provide help for companies looking to become FSC certified.” FSC Licence Code FSC C008526 www.birdfood.co.uk, www.cjwildlife.org BM TRADA is part of the Exova Group one of the world’s leading laboratory-based testing groups www.bmtrada.com 20

Consultation Certificate Holder Trademark Standard under revision

• Introduction of promotion on documents

The FSC trademarks enable businesses and consumers to choose products that support forest conservation, offer social benefits, and enable the market to provide an incentive for better forest management. The FSC trademarks are thus essential to the whole FSC system. The trademark standard for certificate holders, FSCSTD-50-001 is being revised and Version 2-0 is now available for public consultation. It is accompanied by a discussion paper containing two alternative models for making on-product claims with FSC labels.

• Allowing labeling with minimum elements as default, labeling with full elements being optional

The objective of the revision is to review and streamline the trademark requirements to enhance and ease labelling and promotion of products. It also aims to address Motions 29 and Motions 36 passed at the General Assembly 2014. In a nutshell, the revised standard contains the following main amendments: • Suggestions for on-product labels in a separate discussion paper proposing either changing Mix label text or moving into one generic label for all on product claims

• Reducing minimum size requirements for on product labels A crosswalk document, which provides a bigger picture of all changes in greater detail by explaining clause by clause differences between the draft and the existing requirements, is also available. Please submit your comments on both the draft and the discussion paper by using the comment form available from the FSC International website. In order to support stakeholders’ participation in the consultation and to facilitate the review process as whole, FSC is inviting interested stakeholders to attend online webinars. The first webinar is scheduled for 1 December 2015. If you would like to learn more about the revision then do contact the FSC UK office. We encourage all interested parties to join the consultation, your valuable feedback is very much appreciated. The deadline for submitting responses is 31st January 2016.

• Introduction of possibility for self approval of FSC trademark use • Integration of advice notes on small and community label option (FSC-ADV-50-003) and on Forest For All Forever trademarks (FSC-ADV-50-004) • Removal of very specific prohibitions, such as general promotion if no FSC sales or production take place for 12 months, use of trademarks on top of documents and all trademark use on business cards © FSC UK

restriction on general invoice and delivery

Paper changes

Changes to reclaimed materials in FSC certified paper products In October 2015 FSC issued a new advice note regarding pre-consumer reclaimed paper. Prior to this only limited amounts of pre-consumer reclaimed materials were permitted in all FSC Recycled and FSC Mix products. As of 16 October 2015 preconsumer reclaimed paper now counts as equivalent to FSC-certified and postconsumer reclaimed materials for the purpose of percentage and credit claims calculations. There is no change for reclaimed wood materials. Post-consumer reclaimed material Material that is reclaimed from a consumer or commercial product that has been used for its intended purpose by individuals, households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product.

At its 66th meeting in July 2014, the FSC International Board of Directors decided that pre-consumer reclaimed paper will now count as equivalent to FSC-certified and post-consumer reclaimed materials for the purpose of percentage and credit claims calculations. The FSC Policy and Standards Unit was instructed to implement the decision in the revision process of FSC-STD-40-004. As this revision has been delayed, the Board has approved an advice note to bring the decision forward and to allow companies to start applying it. Please note: This Advice Note will be withdrawn at the effective date of the chain of custody standard (FSC-STD-40-004 V3-0).

Examples: FSC Recycled paper label

Pre-consumer reclaimed material Material that is reclaimed from a process of secondary manufacture or further downstream industry, in which the material has not been intentionally produced, is unfit for end use and not capable of being re-used on-site in the same manufacturing process that generated it. Examples include sawdust, damaged stock and off cuts.

FSC Recycled wood label

At the 2011 FSC general assembly, the FSC membership mandated FSC to conduct a study to evaluate the risks and benefits of valuing preconsumer reclaimed paper fibre materials as FSC-certified content (Motion 38). The study was to consider economic, environmental, and social aspects of pre-consumer reclaimed paper.

Competition

Competition: Guess the product Can you work out what FSC certified product is shown in the photo? Tweet your suggestions to @FSCUK using the hashtag #GuessFSC. The winner will be selected from correct entries on 18th December 2015.

This month’s prize is a commemarative FSC spatula courtesy of T&G Woodware Ltd!

Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) UK is a charity dedicated to promoting responsible forestry. For more information about FSC UK: www.fsc-uk.org info@fsc-uk.org 11-13 Great Oak Street Llanidloes Powys, SY18 6BU 01686 413916

Charity number: 1130203 FSC®F000231

FSC in numbers 2,381 Chain of Custody certificates in the UK 1,624,420 hectares of FSC certified forest in the UK 29,681 Chain of Custody certificates worldwide 184.917 million hectares of FSC certified forest worldwide Latest figures from FSC IC. Correct as of 03/11/2015. The full list of November figures can be viewed here