FSC off-product trademark rules … FSC-certified companies should be aware that the new set of rules for the promotional use of the FSC trademarks, TMK is mandatory as of 1 January …

FSC General Assembly 2011 - the overview … Learn what changes are in store in the FSC system and can catch up on key decisions by reading this summary of the FSC General Assembly held on 27 June -1 …

Germany low risk for Controlled Wood … The risk of sourcing timber from unacceptable sources is low, if you buy from German forests. …

Lego adopts forest-friendly packaging … The world's largest construction toy maker, LEGO, yesterday announced a new policy for responsible sourcing of packaging material. Through a mixture of reduced packaging volumes, increased use of recycled material, …

Controlled Wood: sealing gaps and crevices … The much debated issue of Controlled Wood moved a step forward, when members voted for essential repairs and spare parts for the ailing Controlled Wood system; will these 'quick fixes' be enough to satisfy …

Regional Outlook: change of tack in Africa … Africa, home to the world’s second largest tropical forest – the Congo Basin – is a largely untouched potential for FSC. Participatory approaches and alignment with the EU FLEGT scheme may be part of the recipe …

Transparency: thumbs up, thumbs down … Transparency and stakeholder dialogue were in focus this year: on Friday, the members passed one motion and rejected another that aimed for enhanced transparency and stakeholder …

Tropical treasury: lesser known species … “All wood is valuable if it exists in abundance”, states Robert Simeone, President of Sylvania Forestry and founding member of FSC. We caught him in the midst of the busy goings-on of the FSC General Assembly to …

Jaime Levy: A voice for Indigenous Peoples … Long-time supporter of FSC and a fierce advocate for community forestry operations, he understands the challenges for small and medium sized enterprises to access certification and make this a financially …

Kingfisher: Traceability top agenda for retailers … Traceability is perhaps the single most important issue within retail today, explains Kingfisher. As forest resources are depleted, timber supply resilience becomes a pressing issue. Knowing where the …

Underwater forests – FSC's next frontier? … Close to 300 million trees are currently standing underwater, yet this vast resource remains largely untouched and ignored by the global timber market. Canadian-based Triton Logging has pioneered the field of …

Jameson French: “Some said I was a communist” … Jameson French relays what it was like to be one of the early proponents of FSC among the US industry. Today, many of his earlier critics are certified …

McDonald's gives preference to FSC for packaging … Sandwish wraps, fry boxes, takeout bags and trayliners. …

Australian timber act under way … The Australian government has released an "Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011" for public consultation. The proposed Act bans illegal timber products from entering the Australian market and importers of illegal wood …

Portugal low risk for Controlled Wood … Portugal has joined Australia, Chile, Switzerland and more recently the UK to have a national FSC-endorsed Controlled Wood risk assessment in place, providing guidance for buyers of FSC Controlled …

Greenpeace: FSC needs to work harder … Rapid expansion of the FSC system combined with long-standing issues affecting the system’s credibility. That is a cocktail which stakeholders of the FSC system are increasingly unwilling to swallow. Greenpeace has …

FSC an asset for timberland investment in Canada … An investor brief published in January 2011 makes a strong case for investing in FSC-certified forests in Canada. It reveals that FSC is superior to competing systems in terms of mitigating risks and …

Finnish national FSC standard in place … It was an historic moment when the FSC International Center endorsed the proposed Finnish FSC standard on 21 January …

Six PEFC core documents revised … The PEFC Council has endorsed the revision of six PEFC documents covering PEFC's requirements for sustainable forest management, group forest certification, chain of custody certifiation, trademark use, and standard …

Heating up the market for FSC biofuels … Right now, homes and business across Europe and North America are turning up their thermostats as temperatures cool down. …