In a statement, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has said that it "remains deeply concerned about Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with all victims of this violence." The FSC International Board of Directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries.
With a full commitment to FSC’s mission and standards, and after a thorough analysis of the potential impact of a withdrawal of FSC certification, the FSC International Board of Directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries.
This means that wood and forest products from Russia and Belarus cannot be used in FSC products or be sold as FSC certified anywhere in the world as long as the armed violence continues.
All our thoughts are with Ukraine and its people, and we share their hopes for a return to peace. We also express our sympathy with those people in Belarus and Russia who do not want this war, said FSC Director General, Kim Carstensen.
FSC will continue to closely monitor the situation and is ready to take additional measures to protect the integrity of its system.
To continue to protect forests in Russia, FSC will allow forest management certificate holders in Russia the option of maintaining their FSC certification of forest management, but no permission to trade or sell FSC-certified timber. We must act against aggression; at the same time, we must fulfill our mission of protecting forests. We believe that stopping all trade in FSC-certified and controlled materials, and at the same time maintaining the option of managing forests according to FSC standards, fulfills both these needs, Kim Carstensen.
ASI terminates FSC oversight activities in Belarus
FSC’s announcement follows ASI Assurance Services International GmbH (ASI) decision on March 4, 2022, to terminate its FSC oversight activities in Belarus following a review of the integrity risks to the FSC system in Belarus.
The review, which was carried out prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, confirmed ASI’s inability to credibly assess conformity assessment bodies (CABs) based on objective evidence for conformity with FSC social requirements and unacceptable risks to the safety or livelihood of individuals involved in FSC certification.
As a direct consequence of this decision, the geographical scope of all FSC CABs that ASI works with will be reduced to exclude Belarus. This decision affects both forest management (FM) and chain-of-custody (CoC) scopes and will have the effect of invalidating current FSC certification activities of all CABs in Belarus without the possibility of acquiring new FSC clients.
ASI will closely monitor the situation moving forward. ASI will re-establish its activity in Belarus when the circumstances in the country allow it to conduct objective and impartial assessments without repercussions to the safety of the individuals involved
