FSC permits more flexible trademark use … From now on, FSC certificate holders will have more graphic freedom when they wish to use the FSC logo or …

First forest management standard for Kyrgyz Republic … FSC and NEPCon released the Interim National Standard of Kyrgyz Republic. This standard is the first of its kind not only for Kyrgyzstan but also for the whole region covering Caucasus, Central Asia, …

NEPCon releases new carbon management standard … Today, we are launching our ambitious Carbon Footprint Management (CFM) Standard. The Standard makes carbon accounting accessible for small and medium sized companies whilst incentivising carbon …

FSC Transaction Verification – Catching charcoal cheaters… … Five Ukrainian organisations have lost their FSC TM Chain of Custody certificates after FSC started using volume control for charcoal supply chains earlier this year. This outcome follows an …

Is it legal? New tool available for the timber industry … Improved and updated legality verification standards released by the Rainforest …

Kyrgyz smallholders reap the fruits of NTFP certification … NEPCon has recently issued the first FSC TM certificate for Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Central Asia. For a group of 52 smallholders from Kyrgyzstan, this group certification marks the …

Preferred by Nature and RA-Cert union update … Following the public announcement in February, we are now finalising the contract negotiation for the acquisition of Rainforest Alliance’s certification unit (RA-Cert) by …

A practical guide to CITES for EU timber traders … If you are importing timber into the EU, you should be aware of the species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as well as permit …

What’s your experience with Due Diligence and EUTR? … NEPCon is encouraging EU-based companies working in the timber sector to share their experience with Due Diligence and the EU Timber Regulation …

NEPCon expands course offerings to India and Ghana … India and Ghana have been added to NEPCon’s extensive list of training locations. Earlier this year – for the first time in these two countries – we delivered training on FSC™ and Rainforest Alliance …

Danish regulator questions sale of Myanmar teak … The Danish Competent Authority last week required seven companies to make improvements to their due diligence systems if they are to sell teak imported from Myanmar on the EU market. The case raises …

The Rainforest Alliance and NEPCon disassociate from Woodcert … On 1 October 2018 , NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected) acquired the certification and auditing division of the Rainforest Alliance. NEPCon is an international non-profit …

Timber legality verification well received in Brazil … Earlier this year, IPA (Indústria de Pisos da Amazônia or Amazon Flooring Corporation) made the decision to engage with the Rainforest Alliance program for Verification of Legal Origin (VLO), based on …

Marketing toolkit to highlight your engagement with FSC … Drawing inspiration from the vision of “One FSC”, FSC has released a new campaign known as Together We Are FSC. This campaign is designed to empower certificate holders globally how FSC helps their …

Green building - a key driver of timber certification … The use of timber in green construction is a growing trend worldwide.  Backed by innovative techniques, its eco-friendly characteristics spell golden times for  sustainable timber as a sought-after …

FSC Policy for Association in action: for better or for worse? … For the second time in two years, FSC has used its Policy for Association to disassociate from a leading timber trader. We take a close look at the impact and repercussions of the …

FSC General Assembly 2014: key outcomes … As the FSC General Assembly 2014 unfolded, the temperature went up and down, perhaps reflecting the emotional state of the participants. Despite discords, there was consensus that FSC needs to modernise, to …

Mangrove mania: Snapshots from a field audit … During a field audit in mangrove forests, our auditor team learned about the woes and wonders of this enchanted …

FSC certification an asset for forest carbon projects … A study commissioned by the Rainforest Alliance reveals that numerous synergies exist between the FSC Principles and Criteria for forest management and voluntary forest carbon standards. Importantly, …

EU Timber Regulation: When is a product legal? … The EU Timber Regulation requires companies to exercise due diligence when placing timber or timber products on the EU market for the first …