Newsroom

The combined organisation will provide credible sustainability certification services at a global scale, engage with wide and diverse stakeholders, and productively contribute to the development of numerous certification schemes.

The EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) set out in 2013 to target companies importing timber and do something about the problem of illegal logging that rapidly destroys the world’s forests. In spite of noble intentions, the EUTR has created a lot of challenges within the European timber trade…

The Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Act is akin to the EU Timber Regulation and the US Lacey Act. It came into force in 2012 and was reviewed in 2017. The end to the “soft start” took effect 1 January 2018, meaning that importers of regulated timber products into Australia, and…

A sustainably managed forest offers more than sustainable timber and non-timber forest products. It can also provide other ‘ecosystem services’, such as locking up carbon, protecting water supplies and providing a habitat for rare species. Soon, FSC will allow you to…

FSC announced a new version of the FSC Trademark Standard (FSC-STD-50-001 V2-0) which will come into force on 1 March 2018. As well as introducing the trademark use management system, the Standard permits more flexible trademark use.

New FSC standards, frauds in certified products and blockchain technology, launch of NEPCon Sourcing Hub, new tools to support the timber sector… here are the most-read articles of the year in NEPCon's newsroom.  

Have you founded a nature-based startup, or you are at an early-stage of your business development and need to improve your network and skills? ECOSTAR is looking for you! Ready to grow?

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, Moldova and Mongolia.

On 28 November 2017, Accreditation Services International (ASI) informed us that we have met the accreditation requirements for the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP).

Accreditation Services International (ASI) has published the following information on their webpage: 

The never-ending conflict around the Białowieża forest has escalated to the level that it may challenge the certification of all state forests in Poland. It involves an injunction issued by the European Court of Justice, eurosceptic Polish authorities ignoring the…

All products that are certified as being environmentally or socially responsible have to rely on a Chain of Custody system to keep track of products as they move along the supply chain. And all such systems are potentially open to fraud. Can blockchain, the much-talked about code…

NEPCon invites stakeholders to provide feedback on our revised Policy of Association. The consultation will be open until 9 January 2018.

For the past year, FSC has been pilot testing its tools for valuing the conservation and restoration of forests, which will provide FSC-certified forest managers with additional and diversified revenue for the positive impact that their activities have – for instance – on biodiversity…

FSC has made very tangible steps forward on gender through its adoption – in 2015 – of Criterion 2.2 in the new FSC Principles and Criteria (P&C V5-2 EN); which commits FSC to promoting Gender Equality in its work. Criterion 2.2 is articulated through nine indicators designed to…

In Tuesday’s FSC General Assembly programme were two sessions focusing on controlled wood (CW), including – in the morning – a session on the CW Strategy. This was organised as a ‘fish bowl’ event in which six speakers gave their personal thoughts about the future of controlled wood;…

Monday morning’s session at the FSC General Assembly Can CBs deliver independent audits? raised important issues and described risks associated with FSC auditing; for example, increased price competition leading to undesirable outcomes such as less evaluation effort, softened…

Getting certified costs money. It’s worth doing from an environmental point of view, but is it worth doing from a purely business point of view?

Another area that deserves special focus from FSC is community certification. When communities have legal ownership over their lands, deforestation is lower, and biodiversity protection and carbon storage are higher. However, in only 10% of cases are community land rights formally…

Are you a student, consultant, or entrepreneur and keen to develop a business idea around ecosystem services and products? An online training course starting this October offers you a range of support including writing your own business plan.