Is certification a good tool to respond to concerns on sustainability? Gemma Boetekees FSC Global Network Director Brussels, 16 November 2011

Transcription

1 Is certification a good tool to respond to concerns on sustainability? Gemma Boetekees FSC Global Network Director Brussels, 16 November 2011

2 Building an answer The Sustainability Revolution Certification in sustainability trends Limits and boundaries

3 Forest Stewardship Council The sustainability revolution Like the industrial revolution, only recognised when looking back, but it s here! From driven by NGO s, now evolving to be driven by frontrunner big corporate players Unilever: ecological footprint of all products halved by 2020 (and billions of people have a Unilever product at home) IKEA clients put wood sustainability as 2nd most important issue (IKEA = 13 mi RWE/year) US Market research: the brand is more trusted than governments and even NGOs (Kimberly Clark) FSC, A.C. All rights reserved 3

4 Corporate sector and sustainability Frontrunners look at mid-term rather than short term: More wealth with consumers Upcoming middle classes in evolving economies In developing countries investment in sustainable energy sources in 2010 was more than in developed countries Pakistan: 5 billion dollar in sustainable energy China: 1 wind turbine installed per hour Trust the brand, and sustainability leads in strategy Big corporates push their supplying smaller corporates towards sustainability

5 FSC Certified supplier companies in China and Hong Kong 来源 : FSC 国际 2010/11/15, 1786 个

6 Governmental process and sustainable forestry US Lacey Act and EU Timber Regulation require companies to prove legal compliance in product chains Forests increasingly recognised in political debate about environment, biodiversity and climate change (RIO+20) Agreements between governments to address illegal logging and associated trade (FLEG-T)

7 RIO+20 Governmental Conference June 2012 Main theme: Green Economy in the context of Sustainable Development and poverty eradication. UNEP: Green Economy aims for: improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.

8 UNEP: Green Economy Report Forest Chapter Forests are a foundation of the green economy, sustaining a wide range of sectors and livelihoods Certification of sustainable forest management, such as FSC, is described as promising and relevant to shift trends of deforestation and degradation, but suffering from slow pace of expansion, in particular in the tropical and subtropical areas: There are reasons for optimism, but greening the forest sector requires a sustained effort. Various standards and certification schemes have provided a sound basis for practising sustainable forest management, but their widespread uptake requires a strong mandate and consistent policies and markets.

9 Green economies: increasing demand on forests Existing FSC Products Bamboo Board Charcoal Cork Essential Oil Packaging Paper Pulp Rubber Wood What about biofuels? Biomass? Carbon?

10 Certification & Market drivers Certification is a tool in sustainability strategy For this, it needs credibility: meet the social, ecological, and economic rights and needs of the present generation, without compromising those of future generations Stakeholder governed system, equal votes between economic, environmental and social stakeholders: Multi-stakeholder governance shows legitimacy and ensures balance between aspirations and feasibility Sound, 3 rd party control systems (verification on field level)

11 Labels help corporates Germany: A survey with visitors of a DIY store shows a recognition of the FSC Label of 42% 25% of UK customers knowingly buy FSC labelled products Passive recognition of the FSC Label in Scotland has grown to 45% in 2009 In Switzerland, the recognition of the FSC Brand amongst private consumers amounts to 67% / 24% (prompted/unprompted)

12 Limits and boundaries BUT: certification is one tool out of many and does not entirely address: - Improvement but not full stop to deforestation of the world s forests: intact landscapes is wider issue than forestry - Market instrument, so connected to trade (plantations, conservation) - Sustainable levels of consumption - Political rights issues (tenure rights of indigenous peoples, poverty alleviation of communities)

13 So: is certification a good tool for sustainable development? Certification is an excellent tool to support the change to a green economy The green economy is emerging, and partly already there Certification is not the only solution to all: additional instruments are dearly needed To stop further deforestation and promote intact landscapes To ensure the political right of indigenous peoples to decide on their lands, poverty alleviation To ensure sustainable consumption

14 FSC Vision: a way forward for businesses The world s forests meet the social, ecological, and economic rights and needs of the present generation without compromising those of future generations.

15 Forest Stewardship Council International Centre Charles-de-Gaulle-Str Bonn, Germany Gemma Boetekees Global Network Director g.boetekees@fsc.org