During the purchasing process, more and more people want to make a responsible choice. For this reason, the place of origin, the raw materials and the environmental impact of the product are increasingly relevant information for the consumer.
For the producers of paper and its derivatives, a pressing issue is the responsible use of forest resources.
Hence the need for standards and procedures that can certify the responsible management of a forest and the traceability of materials derived from it, offering necessary guarantees to both the company that produces and the citizen who buys a paper product.
What FSC® means
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) is one of the most widely used environmental certification systems. It is an international NGO founded in 1993 with the aim of promoting forest management that is:
- environmentally friendly
- socially useful
- economically sustainable
FSC® includes among its members NGOs and environmental groups (WWF, Greenpeace), social groups (National Aboriginal Forestry Association of Canada), forest owners, wood and paper trading and processing industries, retail groups, researchers and technicians, totalling almost 900 members.
The internationally recognised FSC® certification system aims at correct forest management and traceability of derived products.
Fabo and FSC® certification
In October 2022, Fabo obtained FSC® Chain of Custody certification, the certification for companies involved in the processing and/or trade of forest products.
Certified products must comply with very strict regulations defined by the body. Some of these concern:
- Environmental impact – Forest management will ensure that biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils and ecosystems are preserved. In a nutshell, responsible collection of the necessary material is ensured in order to maintain the integrity of the forest.
- Community relations and workers’ rights – Forest management operations must maintain or improve the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities.
- Rights of indigenous peoples – The legal and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories and resources must be recognised and respected.
- Compliance with FSC® Laws and Principles – Forest management must comply with all applicable laws of the country in which it occurs, international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all FSC® principles and criteria.
In other words, an FSC®-certified forest is managed in an environmentally, socially and legally responsible manner.
What are the requirements a company has to fulfil to obtain this certification for its products?
FABO has undergone a thorough inspection of the departments called upon to handle FSC®-certified raw material: this is the beginning of a journey with obligations and regulations to be complied with, to which the company will be subjected every year. Certification represents an achievement that the company is committed to maintaining over time.
A choice of responsibility, a commitment to its customers.
What kind of classification
FSC-certified paper can be classified in three ways, depending on the origin of the raw material:
- FSC® 100% declares that the material from which the product is made comes exclusively from certified forests.
- FSC® Recycled for all products made from recycled and recovered material
- FSC® Mixed, as the word itself says, is a mix of material from FSC®-certified forests (not less than 70%) and recycled material and/or controlled wood.
Ask for more information about the type of paper we use to make our FSC®-certified products.
Discover FSC® certified Fabo products.
