New tools to source palm oil, soy and beef responsibly … On 24 August NEPCon [1] will launch the NEPCon Sourcing Hub, the biggest and most detailed collection of national commodity risk assessments that has ever been published [2]. The risk assessments …
Latvian company earns first European certificate for responsible biomass … NEPCon has issued a Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certificate to wood pellet producer SBE Latvia. The company is the first in Europe and only the second in the world to …
ASI announced: NEPCon suspension decision deleted from the record … Accreditation Services International (ASI) has published the following information on their …
Successful test of new concept to FSC certify family forests … Small forest operations in Estonia now have easier access to become FSC certified: Pilot testing by the project “Smallholder Certification in Estonia” has proven the viability of a new model …
FSC Trademark training course in Spanish, French and Mandarin versions … Certificate holders can now explore the FSC trademark training course in Spanish, French and Mandarin versions, in addition to English version. It is absolutely …
World Tourism Day special: Exploring the impacts of responsible tourism … “Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all”, is the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day; and at NEPCon, we would like to commemorate it by highlighting the various impacts of …
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 …
Group FSC scheme unlocks potential for UK small enterprises … The Rainforest Alliance has awarded FSC certification to Oxford Timber Audits – the largest chain of custody group in the …
Contractors may hold key to concerns over European forestry … The European Environment Agency called for a renewed effort to improve the biological diversity in Europe’s forests through sustainable forest management in a report published on 18 October …
Social issues in the FSC supply chain: real change in sight? … For the first time, FSC’s Chain of Custody standard covers social issues such as the ILO core conventions and occupational health and …
Beyond timber – will FSC put a price on the wider forest values? … Can we put a price on drinking water, Orang-utans, cultural or historical sites in pursuit of conserving these values? Issues around these questions were raised during yesterday’s meeting …
Pilot tests bring contractor certification closer to reality in Spain … Contractor certification is looking promising in Spain, and is likely to boost FSC certification among small and medium sized …
FSC remains sole forest scheme for LEED Green Building … Should the forestry benchmark of LEED - the US rating system for green building – be changed, permitting non-FSC schemes to earn green building credits? This question has been buzzing in the …
Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood? Beware of new corruption figures … If you are sourcing FSC Controlled Wood, you should take stock of new corruption figures released by Transparency International on the 26th of …
Verified legal teak furniture from Indonesia hits the market … “When most of the industry shifted away from Indonesia in the late 1990s,” says Rene De Kok, ScanCom International’s commercial director, “we continued to build our presence there, investing …
FSC may soften Controlled Wood requirements for co-products … Two draft advice notes put out by FSC imply changes for companies currently operating within the transitory requirements that apply to co-product inputs used in FSC product groups under the FSC …
Borneo company takes legality verification one step further … Yayasan Sabah Group has obtained the very first Verification of Legal Compliance (VLC) statement ever issued by the Rainforest Alliance to a Forest Management …
Leading retailers push to halt trade in illegal wood products … As the EU debates a new regulation to halt trade in illegal timber products, a group of leading retailers with strong wood purchasing policies are stressing the importance of landing an …
The Rainforest Alliance lifts suspension of FSC certification for IKEA subsidiary … Following an appeal process, the Rainforest Alliance has lifted the suspension of the FSC Forest Management certificate held by Swedwood Karelia in …
EU ministers: thumbs down to ban on illegal wood import … During a meeting on the 15th of December, the EU Council of Agricultural Ministers decided against a proposal to put an EU-wide legal ban on trade in illegal wood products - a move that would match …