Forest Certification in India T R Manoharan FSC National Representative for India 01 July 2013 IGNFA Dehradun
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Forest Certification Forest Certification refers to two separate processes: forest management unit (FMU) certification is a process that leads to the issuing of a certificate by an independent party, which verifies that an area of forest/plantation is managed to a defined standard Chain of Custody certificate (CoC) is a process of tracking wood products from the certified forest to the point of sale to ensure that product originated from a certified forest.
From forests to stores with FSC Forest Management (FM) certification Forest Processor Retailer Chain of Custody (COC) certification
Forest Management (FM) certificate An internationally recognized forest management standard Applicable to all types of forests worldwide, including natural forests and plantations 10 Principles and 56 Criteria, with locally developed indicators Forest operators following the FSC requirements with the certificate can sell their products as FSC-certified Forest
Chain of Custody (COC) certificate Confirm the FSC materials are kept segregated and document system is properly maintained Audited annually by independent certification bodies Required for all organizations that have legal ownership of the FSC certified products who want to: Process or transform FSC certified products Affix FSC Product Label to show its FSC status Pass on the FSC claim to the subsequent buyers through sales and delivery documents (i.e. the buyers who further process, or want to make FSC claims about their purchases)
FSC An independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization guided by its multi-stakeholder membership Founded in 1993 after the 1992 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, by concerned business representatives, social groups, and environmental organizations to promote: environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests
Unique Governance Structure Based on participation, democracy and equity Equal voice and power for: social, environmental, and economic interests, North and South (industrialized & developing countries) Jurie Senekal / FSC
FSC activities Setting standards for responsible forest management An accreditation/certification system to monitor adherence to FSC standards A product labeling system that rewards responsible forest managers
FSC Supply - Chain of Custody
FSC -10 Principles 1. comply with international, national and local laws and FSC Principles, 2. respect tenure & use rights and responsibilities, 3. protect Indigenous Peoples rights, 4. assure community benefits and worker s rights, 5. generate multiple benefits from the forest, 6. manage and limit environmental impact, 7. compile and follow a management plan, 8. monitor and assess forest management impact, 9. maintain High Conservation Value forests, 10. ensure that plantations comply with FSC principles.
FSC 10 Principles - Revised 1. Compliance with Laws 2. Workers Rights and Employment Conditions 3. Indigenous Peoples Rights 4. Community Relations 5. Benefits from the Forest 6. Environmental Values and Impacts 7. Management Planning 8. Monitoring and Assessment 9. High Conservation Values 10. Implementation of Management Activities
Why FSC has an international standard? FSC Principles and Criteria Provide an internationally recognized standard for responsible forest management Harmonizing framework for addition of indicators implemented at the forest management unit (FMU) level FSC Principles and Criteria plus a set of local indicators constitute an FSC Forest Stewardship Standard Avoid Technical Barriers to Trade rules and meet WTO agreements.
FSC Product Labels Affixed by Certificate Holders on products to illustrate the FSC status of the forest-based content Allow end consumer to distinguish products from FSC sources (1) FSC 100% All materials are from FSCcertified sources (2) FSC MIX The materials contain a mix of FSCcertified sources and eligible recycled fibre, and from FSC Controlled Wood. (3) FSC Recycled The product is made from recycled materials
Maintaining an unbroken supply chain FSC claim can only be passed down from a Certificate Holder to its buyers If any company along the supply chain is not certified, the FSC claim terminates at this company, no matter the product has the FSC Product Label or not Forest (Certified) (Certified) (Certified) (Not certified) (Not certified) In this case, the Printing House is not certified. Even the Printing House purchased FSC paper for printing, their productions has lost the FSC Claim. Hence, the bookshop cannot claims their books are FSC certified
How to pass down the FSC claim Upon obtaining FSC COC certification, each certificate holder will receive two codes: 1. FSC Trademark License Code This code grants the license for using FSC trademark. It is used on FSC Product Label or Promotional Panel 2. FSC COC Certificate Number This code refers to the certificate obtained by the companies. The COC Certificate Number has to be written on the sales document (e.g. invoice / delivery document) to pass down the FSC claim
1. FSC Trademark License Code The symbol, or TM, refers to the registration status of FSC trademark in the product distribution region FSC C000000 C refers to Certificate Holder Randomly generated six digits code, specific to each Certificate Holder, different from the FSC COC Certificate Number FSC Product label Affix on end-products to show the FSC status It contains the FSC status, 100%, MIX, or Recycled Promotional Panel Used in promoting FSC as a system of the FSC status of products (e.g. on promotional materials / websites / reports)
Abbreviation of the Certification Body 2. FSC COC Certificate Number SGS-COC-000000 The type of certificate obtained, COC or FM/COC Randomly generated six digits code, specific to each Certificate Holder To pass down the FSC claim FSC COC Certificate Number and FSC status of the product must be written on the sales document
How to check the materials is FSC certified Certified products need to be described as such on sales document (e.g. invoices) with an accompanying FSC COC Certificate Number of the supplier Vague claims or documentation are not accepted Statements about company policy From a sustainable source ISO 9000 or 14001 certification our company has an FSC chain of custody Copy of FSC certificate Phyto-sanitary certificates
Procedures for checking 1. Look for COC Certificate Number and FSC claim for each item 2. Verify the company s FSC certificate at FSC Online Database, http://info.fsc.org or with the certification body directly Supplier validation Check the supplier FSC COC Certificate Number to confirm the validity of the company
Forest certification in India Description 2007 2012 No of Chain of custody Certificates FSC Certified Forest Management Areas (Ha) 4 354 688 418018
FSC Forest Management Unit Certificate (FM/CoC) in India Area Certificate Holder New Ambadi Estate (P) Ltd (Ha) Species State Year 2007 and Patneswari Agri. Co- Operative Ltd. (PACL) Society for Afforestation, Research And Allied Works (SARA) 688 (Rubber) Tamil Nadu 928 10643 12 Sept 2012 Eucalyptus camaldulensis; Acacia mangium; Eucalyptus tereticornis Orissa 3 Nov 2011 Eucalyptus tereticornis; Eucalyptus spp; Acacia harpophylla; Eucalyptus pellita; Dalbergia sissoo; Leucaena leucocephala; Eucalyptus urophylla; Eucalyptus urograndis Karnataka 13 Dec 2011 ITC Limited - PSPD Unit Bhadrachalam 8028 Eucalyptus spp; Andhra Pradesh 22 Feb 2012 Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited 19561.49 Bhamaragarh Forest Division, Maharashtra Forest Department (Government of Maharashtra State) 378170 Total 418018.49 Eucalyptus spp; Gmelina arborea Roxb.; Dalbergia sissoo; Acacia mangium; Melia azedarach L. Tamil Nadu 6 July 2012 Tectona grandis;terminalia spp.;bombax ceiba L; Dalbergia sissoo; Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.; Dendrocalamus strictus Maharashtra 12 Dec 2012
FSC Support from Business and NGOs
Govt. initiatives Ministry of Environment and Forests National Working Group on Forest Certification by MoEF in May 2005 Three committees: Certification Criteria, Certification Processes, Accreditation Criteria & Processes First meeting of three committees, October 2007 Constituted NationalForest Certification Committee(NFCC) by merging three committees (Chair: Dr Maharaj Muthoo). First meeting of NFCC Dec 2008 NFCC submitted Final Report in Sept 2010 with recommendation to establish Indian Forest Certification Council (IFCC) Stake holder consultations conducted by the MoEF in 2011 at various levels and prepared a frame work. IFCC is not yet established. EPCH, Ministry of Textiles Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), set up by the Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India is providing incentives for certification for wooden handicraft exporters.
Challenges Inadequate awareness on the benefits of forest certification in domestic markets Absence of approved national standards or indicators for forest certification. In the absence of local standards/indicators, Certification Bodies will use interim standards developed by them for certification. Lack of policy guidelines from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India to third party, voluntary and private certification schemes to forests/plantations managed by the government. Cost of certification, in particular to SMEs.
Opportunities Green Public Procurement FDI in retail sector by MNCs (many of them have committed to FSC globally) Legality requirements in International Markets: US Lacey Act ( amended in 2008), EU Timber Regulation, effective from 3 March 2013, Initiatives in Australia, Japan. Linking with programmes and projects (both Govt and Corporate) to support sustainable standards FSC established Standard Development Group in India in 2012 to develop national standards/local indicators for India to the FSC International Standards.
Suggestions Policy guidelines on Forest Certification on Government Forests/plantations. Incentives for forest certification, support to small holders, farm forestry/social forestry schemes at various levels Promote Green Public Procurement to generate demand in the domestic market Create awareness on the benefits of certification Support the development of national standards, indicators with a view to adapt certification in the national and local contexts.
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