Forest certification & legality verification – policy implications

1. Forest certification & legality verification – policy implications The control of uncertified wood in certified supply chains

2. Presentation content • Mixing of uncertified material in certified products – what are the requirements for control of the ‘uncertified portion’ by certification schemes • Other potential mechanisms for illegal wood to enter certified supply chains?

3. Control of uncertified material by certification schemes • What measures do the following schemes have in place? • FSC • PEFC • SFI • MTCC

4. Forest Stewardship Council • “Controlled wood” approach aimed at allowing FSC certified companies to buy and supply non-FSC certified wood which had been controlled to avoid illegally harvested wood • Definition of controlled wood also includes wood harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights; wood harvested in forest which high conservation values are threatened by management activities; wood harvested in forest being converted to plantations or non- forest use; wood from forest in which genetically modified trees are planted. • FSC Standard for company evaluation of FSC Controlled Wood (FSC-STD-40-005) requires companies buying non FSC-certified wood/ fibre materials to avoid uncontrolled wood, and includes supplier declarations, risk assessment and a programme of verification.

5. Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes • The organisation shall establish adequate measures to ensure that the certified products do not include raw material from controversial sources (PEFC Technical Document Annex 4). • This definition relates to legality rather than a wider definition. • Requirements are based on a combination of signed self-declaration that the supplied raw material does not originate from a controversial source by all suppliers ; an evaluation of the potential risk of procuring raw material form controversial sources; and establishment of a programme of verification for high risk sources.’

6. Sustainable Forestry Initiative • Program Participants shall ensure their procurement programs support the principles of sustainable forestry, including efforts to thwart illegal logging and promote conservation of biological diversity. (SFIS Performance Measure 8.5) • This requirement relates to legality and some indicators relating to biodiversity. • Requirements are based on a risk assessment process and measures to address any significant risk identified.

7. Malaysian Timber Certification Council • Non-certified material are required to be from non “controversial sources” (section 3.4.5 of the RCOC). • This requirement relates to legality rather than a wider definition. • RCOC minimum requirement of a signed self-declaration is combined with obligation for auditors to check origin of uncertified wood materials (Assessment Procedures in using the RCOC).

8. Control of uncertified material by certification schemes • All schemes evaluated by CPET in 2006 included documented systems designed to ensure that uncertified material is from legal sources • Differences between schemes: • Scope of “controlled wood” compared to “legal” • Methodology may include programme of verification • Is compliance with these requirements being robustly checked?

9. Other potential mechanisms for illegal wood to enter certified supply chains? • Other COC standard requirements: some approaches developed specifically for verifying legality in high risk settings have been more prescriptive. E.g. ‘log tracking systems’ rather than ‘traceability’. • Auditing and accreditation: is compliance with COC standard requirements being robustly checked? • Additional safeguards: should additional measures be required for high risk settings, such as whole chain reconciliation of volumes?