Time for FSC to be brave
At the close of the FSC General Assembly 2014, the good ship FSC has set its course for the next three years. But will the agreed moves be bold enough to solve the key issues that FSC is struggling with? In this commentary, NEPCon’s Executive Director Peter Feilberg dares FSC to set sail towards heavy seas.
FSC General Assembly 2014 - Commentary by NEPCon Executive Director Peter Feilberg
The members of FSC have spoken, the course is set for the next three years, and the direction seems very sensible. However, the big question is whether we can expect the ambitions behind this year’s motions to be fulfilled over the next three years.
At the beginning of the General Assembly, Chairman of the FSC Board Michael Conroy presented a vision where “the good ship FSC will sail on, and will be sailing in deeper waters.”
And at the end of the voting sessions, the facilitator John Ramsay remarked: “I hope not to sail through such rough waters even in the FSC ship again”, referring to some of this year’s heated discussions.
However, the question is whether FSC should be heading towards calmer seas at all. In my view, it is time for FSC to face and tackle some stormy weather.
It may seem that the ripples have been smoothed out for the time being, however the momentum for change created through the motions passed at the Assembly may not be strong enough to keep FSC’s members happy for very long:
- The members sent a clear signal about the need for higher system efficiency, e.g. through the motion on FSC trademarks. However, creating a leaner system will require some camels to be swallowed and the courage to reduce existing bureaucracy. FSC yet has to demonstrate their commitment to move in this direction in practice.
- The topic of Intact Forest Landscapes is fraught with conflicts of interest that will only become tougher as the world population grows and the pressure on natural areas intensifies. The protection of these vast areas goes right to the heart of any environmentalist. At the same time they hold great timber resources that can be used for much needed socio-economic development. Clearly this topic has the potential to cause a deep divide in the FSC community. Motion 65 was only passed following tough inter-chamber negotiations which resulted in considerable softening of the Environmental Chamber’s original demands. The final compromise motion may be too weak to satisfy Greenpeace and other environmental stakeholders for very long.
- As for access to certification for communities and smallholders, the motions passed were not very different from past motions, which so far haven’t led to the landslide inclusion of those groups that the members are looking for. A new, much more profound take on this challenge is clearly needed
- No motions were passed that address on-going discussions related to the integrity of the Chain of Custody (CoC) system. During the months prior to the GA, FSC’s proposed solution – the Online Claims Platform (OCP) – met with a lot of opposition from the industry and FSC no longer plans for the OCP to be mandatory. The current weaknesses in the CoC system and the OCP were very much topics at the event and the discussion is clearly not over. It is an open question for how long FSC can afford to ignore obvious problems of integrity within the CoC system.
It thus appears uncertain whether the GA result will bring FSC much closer to solving its key issues. Will FSC follow its past approach and try to meet deep-seated challenges through small incremental adjustments of the current system? Or will FSC brave the unknown and take some truly innovative steps to tackle the root of its persistent issues, promising faster change?
Unless such steps are taken, there is a risk that FSC will continue to be a system for the big and the rich, that FSC will lose some of its NGO backup, and that vast resources will continue to be spent on superfluous bureaucracy instead of on securing the system’s impact on the ground.
Although this year’s General Assembly ended on a positive note, it is likely that frustrations will start growing again. Mr Ramsay may have an even tougher job of facilitating constructive conversation at the next GA.
It is time for FSC to be brave and to take some bold decisions. FSC may need to sail across rough seas in order to reach a better place for fulfilling the goals that it set out to achieve.
Looking ahead, the real challenge is perhaps not to keep the FSC ship afloat, but rather to steer it clear of dead waters and move it effectively towards its objectives.
See our article summarising key outcomes of the General Assembly
