Trusting Green: The Organizations behind the Information

Green Grades ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Forestry ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
The Public ◽  
Toilet Paper ◽  
Organizational Trustworthiness ◽  
Forest Stewardship

Chapter 3 begins with a decision scenario involving the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. They both provide information about toilet paper greenness, but which of these claims should we trust? The concepts of trustworthiness, accountability, credibility, and legitimacy are introduced to address this question, and then used to analyze the 245 cases of eco-labels and sustainability ratings in the EEPAC Dataset. Accountability relationships to funders, advisors and other actors in the public, private, and civil sectors are analyzed, and the reputational and trustworthiness implications of these relationships are discussed. Signals of credibility, such as expertise and independence, are also identified and discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of promising and problematic organizational practices related to organizational trustworthiness, and particularly those that enhance the transparency and clarity of a program’s accountability relationships.

The Forest Stewardship Council: Private Governance in Brazil and Russia

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-174
Author(s):  
Laura A. Henry ◽  
Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom
Keyword(s):  
Global Governance ◽  
Sustainable Forestry ◽  
Amazon Rainforest ◽  
Market Reforms ◽  
Private Governance ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Export Markets ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Forest Stewardship

NGOs from Brazil and Russia participate in the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global private governance initiative that promotes sustainable forestry using certification and labeling, contributing to increases in certified forest territory and certified companies in both more democratic Brazil and less democratic Russia. The chapter argues that while Brazilian NGOs participate in FSC more robustly at the national and international levels, FSC has been a more consequential site for mediation in Russia. It argues that differences in Russian and Brazilian NGO engagement with FSC are linked in part to the timing of global governance intervention. Brazilian NGOs achieved some policy goals during earlier efforts to save the Amazon rainforest, while in Russia NGOs leveraged the FSC at a crucial moment following post-Soviet market reforms when forestry companies sought export markets.

scholarly journals PLANTAÇÕES FLORESTAIS E A PROTEÇÃO DE FLORESTAS NATIVAS EM UNIDADES DE MANEJO CERTIFICADAS NA AMÉRICA DO SUL PELOS SISTEMAS FSC E PEFC

FLORESTA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Ribeiro Alves ◽  
Laércio Antônio Gonçalves Jacovine ◽  
Vanessa Maria Basso ◽  
Márcio Lopes da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
South America ◽  
Forest Plantations ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
The Public ◽  
Certification System ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship

A certificação florestal está presente no continente sul-americano desde 1995 e, desde então, tem se expandido por diversos países da região. Objetivou-se analisar a contribuição que as empresas com certificação de plantações florestais têm na proteção de florestas nativas na América do Sul pelos sistemas Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) e Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). Foram consultados os resumos públicos das unidades de manejo florestal certificadas dos países da América do Sul, tanto os referentes à certificação de plantações florestais quanto de florestas nativas. Buscou-se a informação referente à área total certificada da unidade de manejo florestal, a área efetivamente implantada, a área de proteção florestal e a área destinada a outros usos. Tanto o FSC (40,9%) quanto o PEFC (34,4%), no Brasil, contribuíram mais para a proteção florestal, quando comparado com o FSC (22,4%) e o PEFC (22,9%) no Chile. Conclui-se que a certificação de plantações florestais exerce uma importante função na proteção florestal, notadamente em países como Brasil, Colômbia, Paraguai e Chile. Além disso, no Brasil as áreas destinadas à proteção florestal são superiores às do Chile, tanto pelo sistema de certificação FSC quanto pelo PEFC.Palavras-chave:Certificação florestal; proteção florestal; sistemas de certificação; manejo florestal. AbstractForest plantations and the protection of native forests in certified units management in South America by FSC and PEFC Systems. Forest certification is present in South America since 1995 and since then has expanded to various countries of the region. The objective was to examine the contribution that companies with certification of forest plantations, have the protection of native forests in South America for systems Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). We consulted the public summaries of certified forest management units in the countries of South America, both for the certification of forest plantations on native forests. We sought information on the total area of certified forest management unit, the area effectively deployed, the protected area and forest area for other uses. Both FSC (40.9%) and PEFC (34.4%), Brazil, contributed more to the forest protection when compared with FSC (22.4%) and PEFC (22.9%) in Chile. We conclude that certification of forest plantations has an important role in forest protection, especially in countries like Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay and Chile. Moreover, in Brazil the areas intended for forest protection are higher than those of Chile, both the FSC certification system as PEFC.Keywords: Forest certification; forest protection; certification systems; forest management.

Purity and Danger

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Land Rights ◽  
Sustainable Forestry ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Documentary Evidence ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Market Linkages ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Customary Land

This chapter examines the project to certify sustainable forestry in Indonesia. Although the field of forest certification was created in large part to counteract deforestation in Southeast Asia, the growth of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification in Indonesia proved to be quite slow and contentious. Companies that did get certified often struggled to reform destructive logging practices and tense relationships with communities. This chapter asks why forest certification was underdeveloped and what kinds of reforms it brought about. Drawing on interviews with practitioners and documentary evidence, the chapter shows how certification was impeded not only by convoluted market linkages but also by democratization and domestic governance of land. As indigenous communities pressed their claims to customary land rights, companies seeking FSC certification struck new bargains, but most often these amounted to shallow solutions to deep problems.

scholarly journals Public Opinion and the Legitimacy of Global Private Environmental Governance

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-81
Author(s):  
Fabian G. Neuner
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
The Public ◽  
Collective Action Problems ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Public Opposition

The rise of global private environmental governance has inspired substantial research assessing whether organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) are legitimate. These organizations address global challenges and help overcome collective action problems, but public opposition can severely curb their effectiveness. Yet, we do not know whether the public supports such organizations and perceives them as legitimate. This article draws on diverse political science literatures to outline why a focus on public opinion is important. The article tests two competing arguments explaining potential opposition toward organizations like the ISO and the FSC: accounts centered on the role of sincere preferences over the legitimate locus of authority and on the influence of domestic elite rhetoric. Results suggest that public opinion is generally positive and that elite rhetoric about a potential democratic deficit rather than simple information about the bodies’ governance structures decreases favorability.

Forest management certification around the world –Progress and problems

2011 ◽  
Vol 87 (05) ◽  
pp. 603-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Rotherham
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
The Public ◽  
Certification Programs ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
The World ◽  
Forest Stewardship

Certification to approved forest management standards is a recognized business practice. There are two international forest certification programs: the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The common objective of both is to improve forest management and provide assurance to the public and customers that forest products come from sustainably managed forests and not from illegal operations. As of June 2011 there were approximately 372 million ha of certified forests around the world. There are 234 million ha of forests in 26 countries that have been certified to standards approved by PEFC. There are143 million ha of forest certified to FSC standards in 81 countries. In 20 of these countries, with101 million ha (70%), the forests have been certified to standards approved by FSC. In the remaining 61 countries, 42 million ha (30%), the forests have been certified to draft or “interim standards” that have not gone through the FSC approval process. Consumers have no way of knowing whether the wood or paper products with an FSC label are from forests certified to FSC-approved standards or to “interim standards” developed by FSC certification bodies.

scholarly journals Voluntary Sustainability Certification and State Regulations: Paths to Promote the Conservation of Ecosystem Services? Experiences in Indonesia

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 503
Author(s):  
Intan Kurniati Ningsih ◽  
Verina Ingram ◽  
Sini Savilaakso
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
State Regulations ◽  
Certification Standard ◽  
Voluntary Certification ◽  
Market Driven ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
The Impact

The Forest Stewardship Council initiated a Forest Certification for Ecosystem Services (ForCES) project from 2011 to 2017 to improve and promote sustainable forest management addressing a range of ecosystem services. Three sites in Indonesia were included in the pilot. Whilst the development of the certification standard was largely the result of a partnership between the certification standard organization, civil society and research organizations, implementation and monitoring of the impact of this sustainability standard will entail interactions with state regulations. This study examined how voluntary certification, other market-based approaches and state regulations concerning ecosystem services in Indonesia interplay, particularly in the agenda setting and negotiation stage. Using the conceptual lenses of transition theory and state and non-state market-based governance, interrelationships between ecosystem services certification and regulations were found to be complementary and antagonistic. The majority of interrelations were complementary and supporting. However, antagonism exists where regulations do not address multiple land uses and when there are contradictions in how state regulations define ecosystem services. There was limited state involvement in developing the ecosystem services certification standard, with no substitution between the voluntary standard and regulations occurring. To scale and transition this innovatory standard from a niche to a sociotechnical regime level, it is recommended that market-driven governance arrangements at farm, forest concession and landscape level are developed in collaboration with national and local governments. Collaboration can create synergies to incentivize the acceptance, adoption and effectiveness of non-state market driven instruments to positively enhance the conservation of ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Effects of forest certification towards sustainable community forestry in Nepal

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pem N Kandel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
Sustainable Community ◽  
Forest Stewardship ◽  
Forest Users

In early 2005, 10,045 ha Community Forests (CFs) were certified in Bajhang and Dolakha districts of Nepal by using the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme. After two years of forest certification, subsequent questions are being asked such as: What benefits have certification brought for the Forest Users Groups (FUGs)? What tangible differences are there in forest management system because of forest certification? and What lessons have been learnt from the certified forests? In an attempt to answer these questions, a study was carried out in April 2007 in Dolakha district where 11 (2,182 ha) community managed forests were certified in 2005. On the basis of field study from two certified forests (Vitteripakha and Suspa) of the district, this paper analyzes the effects of forest certification and its implications for enhancing Sustainable Community Forestry (SCF) in Nepal. Key words: Sustainable forest management, forest certification, community forestry Banko Janakari: A journal of forestry information for Nepal Vol.17(1) 2007 pp.11-16

Does forest certification conserve biodiversity?

Oryx ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Gullison
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Forest Certification ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Forest Stewardship Council ◽  
Tropical Countries ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Forest Stewardship

Forest certification provides a means by which producers who meet stringent sustainable forestry standards can identify their products in the marketplace, allowing them to potentially receive greater market access and higher prices for their products. An examination of the ways in which certification may contribute to biodiversity conservation leads to the following conclusions: 1) the process of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certification generates improvements to management with respect to the value of managed forests for biodiversity. 2) Current incentives are not sufficient to attract the majority of producers to seek certification, particularly in tropical countries where the costs of improving management to meet FSC guidelines are significantly greater than any market benefits they may receive; available incentives are even less capable of convincing forest owners to retain forest cover and produce certified timber on a sustainable basis, rather than deforesting their lands for timber and agriculture. 3) At present, current volumes of certified forest products are insufficient to reduce demand to log high conservation value forests. If FSC certification is to make greater inroads, particularly in tropical countries, significant investments will be needed both to increase the benefits and reduce the costs of certification. Conservation investors will need to carefully consider the biodiversity benefits that will be generated from such investments, versus the benefits generated from investing in more traditional approaches to biodiversity conservation.

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