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In February 2003, Maderas Iglesias S.A (Greenkett) has become one of the first Spanish companies to obtain the Certificate of Custody Chain according to the demanding regulations established by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Thanks to this, all the products sold under the FSC denomination are guaranteed to contain at least 71% of certified material in accordance with FSCs percentage policy. Let us see what all this exactly means.
What is F.S.C.?
The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit making international organisation founded in 1993 in order to support environment-friendly management activities, which can be good for society, and economically feasible, with regard to the forests of the world.
It is an association composed by representatives of social and environmental groups, wood and forest-related companies, organisations of indigenous people, wood community groups and organisations certifying forest products worldwide. The organisation is open to all those involved in, or with interest in, the use of woodhand resources and forest products, which share their goals and institutional aims.
Being aware of the pressing need to protect our forests, FSC ratified in 1996 the principles that would define best management practices for the responsible use of the worldīs forest resources. Thus, the Forest Stewardship Council was born creating what is nowadays known as the FSC Forest Certification scheme.
The FSC label or trademark allows to identification the origin of a given product. Furthermore, it raises environmental awareness with regard to responsible use and preservation of forest resources. The Council develops monitoring procedures and accredits certifying agencies worldwide, which, in turn, certify woods and plantations by means of specialised technicians.
Certification of the custody chain
Once the forest has been certified, it is necessary to monitor and trace the certified material originating from them throughout the transformation and supply chain. Only by doing so, we would be really sure that a given item stems from a forest, which has been managed in compliance with the FSC Principles and Criteria. Greenkett products manufactured with FSC materials contain at least 71% of wood stemming from well managed forests, independently certified in accordance with the FSC regulations.
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| FSC PRINCIPLES FOR A RESPONSIBLE FOREST MANAGEMENT |
PRINCIPLE 1.Compliance with laws and FSC Principles.
Forest Management shall respect all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all FSC Principles and Criteria.
PRINCIPLE 2.Tenure and use rights and responsibilities.
Long-term tenure and use rights to the land and forest resources shall be clearly defined, documented and legally established.
PRINCIPLE 3. Indigenous peoples rights.
The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories, and resources shall be recognized and respected.
PRINCIPLE 4. Community relations and workers rights.
Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities.
PRINCIPLE 5. Benefits from the forest.
Forest management operations shall encourage the efficient use of the forestīs multiple products and services to ensure economic viability and a wide range of environmental and social benefits.
PRINCIPLE 6. Environmental impact.
Forest management shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and, by so doing, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest.
PRINCIPLE 7. Management plan.
A management plan, appropriate to the scale and intensity of the operations, shall be written, implemented, and kept up to date. The long term objectives of management, and the means of achieving them, shall be clearly stated.
PRINCIPLE 8. Monitoring and assessment.
Monitoring shall be conducted, appropriate to the scale and intensity of forest management, to assess the condition of the forest, yields of forest products, management activities and their social and environmental impacts.
PRINCIPLE 9. Maintenance of high conservation value forests.
Management activities in high value conservation forests shall maintain or enhance the attributes which define such forests. Decisions regarding high conservation value forests shall always be considered in the context of a precautionary approach.
PRINCIPLE 10. Plantations.
Plantations shall be managed in accordance with Principles and Criteria 1-9. While plantations can provide an array of social and economic benefits, and can contribute to satisfying the worldīs needs for forest products, they should complement the management of, reduce pressures on, and promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests.
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