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Article

1 Apr 2018

Author:
John C. Cannon, Mongabay

Greenpeace Intl ends membership with Forest Stewardship Council; raises concern about system's inability to protect forests and human rights

"Greenpeace International ends its Forest Stewardship Council Membership," 02 April 2018

The international arm of Greenpeace has ended its membership with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a certification organisation that aims to ensure responsibly managed forests.

Greenpeace announced its decision...saying in a briefing statement that the FSC was not accomplishing its goals of protecting forests and the rights of people who live there...

Greenpeace International also said the FSC must publish audit reports and chain-of-custody certificates, which are meant to ensure that products come from FSC-certified sources, as well as maps of FSC-certified concession boundaries.

Without that window into FSC-certified operations, Rosoman argued that some aren’t sticking to FSC standards.

He pointed to...Korindo as one example. Korindo is alleged to have cut down some 300 square kilometers (116 square miles) of rainforest in Indonesia to make way for oil palm plantations.

Carstensen said the FSC had “systems to deal with those poor performers.” On June 7, 2017, the FSC noted the complaint on its website.

But the complaint came from the NGO Mighty Earth. Rosoman said the FSC must do more to ensure that companies aren’t breaching the environmental and human rights standards that they are required to uphold.

“When implemented effectively, Forest Stewardship Council certification can protect people’s rights and improve forest management,” Daggett said, “but we no longer have confidence that FSC alone can consistently guarantee enough protection, especially when forests are facing multiple threats.” 

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