With the UK having recently been in full festivity with the jubilee, you’ve probably seen the little green tree tick on the bottom of your cake box or celebratory snacks. Maybe you've wondered what 'FSC® certified' means, or maybe you've already heard about it and how important it is.
What is FSC®?
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) is an international NGO designed to protect and promote the responsible management of our world’s forests. FSC® has become the world’s most recognisable forest certification system. In fact, you’ve probably seen its handiwork recently and not even realised it.
Why should we bother?
There’s more to it than just trees. Buying FSC® certified products guarantees that the product or packaging (or both) meets the highest environmental and social standards. Forests around the world are inspected and marked against precise conditions - these are known as the 10 Principles of Forest Stewardship and can be found here.
If your products come from an FSC® certified forest, you know they have been vetted and considered against environmental, social and economic benefits to make sure that everyone is getting a fair deal, and that our planet will be preserved for future generations.
How does it help?
It is vital to make sure that our forests are not damaged when making up so much paper packaging. The future of our planet is the most critical thing for us, and so in an effort to combat climate change, FSC® helps consumers know that their purchased products have helped eliminate and reduce deforestation, forest degradation and illegal logging.
Who does it help?
FSC® is valued so highly because of the way it ensures preservation of biological diversity and is committed to the lives of the local people and workers. Because of that, it helps everyone. For a company to have their FSC® certificate (Seep does!), it shows the integrity and transparency of their supply chain.
A customer can rest easy knowing that the chain of custody verifies FSC® certified material comes from the right sources and is only treated and used by others that also uphold the FSC®’s rigorous requirements.
Let us know what you think about FSC®. Had you heard about the FSC® before? Do you purposefully choose products with sustainable and traceable origins?
