The FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) says good progress was made last year on FSC brand penetration and market growth. The FSC has launched a market information pack that provides many indicative and revealing figures and statistics on FSC growth, market share, label recognition and other strong indicators of the growth in supply and demand for FSC products. A number of surveys conducted in 2007 show that increasing numbers of the general public are becoming even more aware of FSC. Results from the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and the UK suggest that the FSC logo is becoming a globally recognised indicator of responsible forest management and responsible purchasing in consumer markets.

FSC forest management certification is growing at a steady rate in Russia and has reached 18,654,774 ha. Russia maintains the second largest area of FSC certified forest in the world after Canada which holds 20,18,933 ha. Tembec is the largest single holder of FSC certified forest area in the world. With operations in Canada and France, the company sells pulp, newsprint, engineered wood, paperboard, softwood lumber and hardwood flooring to international markets. The company holds a total of 9.7 million ha of FSC certified lands. All of the company’s pulp, paper and building products facilities are FSC chain of custody certified. Today 60% of Swiss forest area is FSC certified, a remarkable achievement considering the 250,000 private small forest owners and apprehension towards FSC by forest owners in the past. Centuries of responsible forest management now has a simple, trustworthy and global label that communicates this tradition and performance. And it also pays. In the paper sector, PriceWaterhouseCooper’s 2007 report on the Global Forest, Paper and Packaging Industry confirms FSC certification as the preferred choice of the industry’s top 100 companies. The paper sector uses around 40% of all commercially harvested wood. The world’s first chain of custody (CoC) paper market study confirms FSC as the leading certification scheme by quality and quantity. Global FSC paper consumption will grow to nearly 6.5 Mt in 2012, according to a new market study by Pira International. This study is the first to quantify and forecast the market for CoC paper markets, broken down by certification type, end-use sector, grade, region and key country. Launched in December 2007, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) initiative, LEED for Homes, requires that only FSC certified or reclaimed material is permitted when using topical wood in residential buildings. LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green residential homes. Tetra Pak has launched the first FSC labelled food and liquid carton. The carton is called Tetra Recart. The FSC logo printed on it guarantees consumers that the packaging material comes from responsibly managed forests and controlled sources. Sainsbury’s, a UK supermarket chain, is the first to use these cartons for its own-label premium chopped tomatoes. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series has galvanised the world’s book industry into sourcing environmental papers including from socially and environmentally responsibly managed forests certified to FSC’s standards. Around the world millions of copies of the final book in the series are carrying the FSC logo. US based Northstar, a worldwide provider of information and news for the meetings and hospitality industries, now uses and promotes FSC for its magazines. Northstar Travel Media LLC is printing 62,000 copies every month of its Meetings and Conventions international periodical with the FSC logo. To accomplish this, Northstar worked with its printer, Brown Printing to source FSC paper. Both companies are now FSC certified. Marks and Spencer’s (M&S), a leading retailer in the UK, has committed to sourcing all of its wood from FSC certified or recycled sources by 2012. This five year plan is arguably the boldest commitment to date made by any retailer in the world. http://www.fsc.org/