Rhett Butler: using the power of words to transform forestry … Over the past decade, a young man by the name of Rhett Butler has built what is perhaps the world’s most successful one-stop site on tropical forests, Mongabay.com. Attracting more than a …

… 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 2008. …

FSC Trademarks … As of January 2008, the new requirements for using the FSC trademarks in promotion are compulsory for all trademark …

FSC remains the sole choice of Tetra Pak … Despite improvements in the PEFC system, it has not attained an assurance level that satisfies the standards set by Tetra Pak, global leader in beverage …

… 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 July. …

New PEFC Chain of Custody standard soon mandatory … Reminder: PEFC certificate holders need to be aware that the transition period for phasing in the new PEFC Chain of Custody standard ends on 26 November 2011. After this date, all PEFC certified …

Social issues move into the FSC Chain of Custody standard … FSC has launched a revised version of its Chain of Custody standard, implying several changes to the system that certificate holders should be aware …

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 …

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

Certified, but not for the money … FSC is normally seen as a market-driven tool to support responsible forest management, creating incentives in terms of market access or price premiums; however, for some forest owners there are quite different benefits …

Positive outlook for certified sales in Eastern Europe … The largest printing house in Central Europe, QuadWinkowski, sees clear business benefits of its dual FSC and PEFC certification. Demands for certified products are growing across all of the …

FSC renames certified products … FSC has released a revised version of its product classification standard that is used to define companies’ product groups as well as to feed into the FSC database …

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, …

Another great year, now let's steam ahead … According to Richard Donovan, Vice President of Forestry at the Rainforest Alliance, FSC members don’t see certification as the silver bullet, but they also don’t see anything else as a silver bullet. And FSC …

Plantations - the step-child of FSC … Forestry expert Berty van Hensbergen takes a nuanced stance on FSC’s requirements for plantations including the infamous criterion on post-1994 conversion. Does the current rule lead to social …

Timothy Synnott: "The controversies have calmed down" … He was a constructive voice in the sustainable forestry debate, while the concept of FSC was still bubbling in its primordial soup. Twenty years later, he remains strongly engaged in sustainable …

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 …

Plantations revisited … FSC's approach to plantations was on Friday's agenda at the FSC General Assembly. Members agreed that FSC needs more clarity on this point. Meanwhile, stakeholders outside of FSC voiced their opinions on this highly emotional topic …