Report: PEFC material does not automatically qualify as FSC Controlled Wood … FSC has today released a report exploring the assurance offered by the PEFC certification scheme in relation to FSC's Controlled Wood …

Carbon footprint reporting on the rise among business … It has become relatively commonplace for businesses to voluntarily disclose descriptive information about what they are doing to ensure environmental sustainability in their operations via their …

PepsiCo and Tetra Pak launch FSC-labelled juice cartons in Russia … Over 200 million FSC-labelled cartons of the J7 juice brand will reach the Russian marketplace this …

FSC “fundamental law” revised and approved … The FSC membership has approved the revised Principles and Criteria – the backbone for all national and regional FSC forest management standards across the globe – with unprecedented support by social …

New corruption figures: implications for legal timber sourcing … On 5 December 2012, Transparency International released the results of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) …

Guidance provides clarifications and reveals potential loophole in the EU Timber Regulation … On 9 November 2012, the long-awaited guidance document clarifying important details of the EU Timber Regulation was presented by EU. It provides clarification on …

Revised FSC Chain of Custody Directive: key changes … FSC has published an expanded version of its Chain of Custody Directive (FSC-DIR-40-004), including three new advice …

Australia passes Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill … On 19 November 2012, the Australian Senate voted in favour of the Australian Illegal Prohibition Bill, which prohibits the importing of illegally logged timber and timber products as well as processing …

FSC pushes forward on EU Timber Regulation alignment … On 31 October, FSC released an expanded version of the FSC chain of custody directive (FSC-DIR-40-004), including changes that are essential for the system's alignment with the EU Timber …

World Bank: time to get tough on forest crime … In recent years, a number of initiatives have been launched to address the problem of illegal logging, such as the EU FLEGT program addressing forest governance in tropical countries and initiatives in the …

WWF: The EU drags its feet over legality measures … In its “Government Barometer 2012”, WWF criticises EU member states for being too reluctant when it comes to on-the-ground actions that they are expected to carry out to halt the flow of illegal timber …

Australian Timber Bill endorsed … Australia has come considerably closer to adopting a new Timber Act, after a special committee of the Australian Senate has given its full support to the Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition …

Leadership needed in absence of global climate deal … Governments of the world who gathered for the climate conference in Durban were unable to agree on an international, legally-binding …

Tears, sweat, and optimism … “I’m in this for the long haul”, says Kasper Kopp, referring to his timber trading business TRACER ApS. The Danish company specialises in FSC-certified tropical timber and promotes Lesser Known Species in order to support …

Environmental devotion propels success for greeting cards … Perhaps more than other forestry products, greeting cards have a unique ability to connect with consumers on an emotional …

FSC and PEFC requirements: update on key changes … The FSC and PEFC forest certification systems are constantly evolving based on stakeholder feedback and new developments in the political and legislative …

Outlook 2012: sustainability trends in the timber market … Will the global financial crisis kill efforts to foster sustainability in the timber sector? This would seem likely, but the opposite seems to be the …

FSC aligns with the EU Timber Regulation … Minor non-certified components will need to be completely phased out of the FSC system within a year's time. FSC has found this to be a necessary move in order to ensure recognition of FSC certified products as …

Malaysian timber scheme rejected by Dutch Board of Appeal … The Board of Appeal of the Dutch Environmental Foundation has ruled to uphold a judgement made last year by the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC). TPAC found that the PEFC …

FSC Controlled Wood standard to be amended … A new draft version of the standard for Company Evaluation of FSC Controlled Wood is open for public consultation until 30 November. It includes several new requirements, which have been added in order to …