A collective and international presence
For FSC, the Carrefour International du Bois is an opportunity to bring its international network together around a shared stand, itself FSC-certified (FSC-P002065), to engage with sector stakeholders and strengthen ties with certificate holders, partners and key players. Once again this year, the FSC stand was a hub of meetings and discussions over three days, welcoming professionals from all backgrounds.
A lively stand and events throughout the fair
An evening dedicated to scientific research
At an exclusive evening event on the sidelines of the CIB, bringing together FSC teams, partners and stakeholders, we had the honour of welcoming Joeri Zwerts, researcher at Utrecht University, who presented his work published in the journal Nature in April 2024. His five-year study, conducted across 14 forest concessions in Gabon and the Republic of Congo, demonstrates that FSC-certified forests in the Congo Basin are home to 2.7 times more large mammals than non-certified forests : robust scientific evidence of the concrete impact of FSC certification on biodiversity.
Full study available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07257-8
A roundtable on FSC-certified wood in construction
On Wednesday 3 June, we hosted a roundtable entitled "FSC in construction: when demand meets supply", introduced and moderated by Aurélien Sautière, Executive Director of FSC France. The event gave committed sector players the opportunity to share their FSC journey: Tullia Baldassarri (Interholco), Charly Reignier (Building Solutions, Stora Enso), Bastien Bouteloup (Woodeum / Altarea - Cogedim), Ombeline Hannebelle (Built by Nature France / BBCA), Tristan Perret (Forestry France) and Erik Sneek (SWI Wood Import & Export).
The discussions converged on a key idea: the main challenge is no longer to demonstrate that wood is a relevant construction material, but to make the economic, environmental and social value of wood from sustainably managed, FSC-certified forests recognised.
Speakers highlighted three sector realities: growing regulatory pressure (traceability, EUDR, low-carbon construction), increasing demand for guarantees on material origins, but also a lack of understanding of the real value of FSC certification among decision-makers, local authorities and end users.
Several positive developments were noted, including the fact that project owners and investors are progressively adopting a more holistic approach to project impacts (biodiversity, water management, traceability, social issues…), beyond carbon alone.
For Ombeline Hannebelle (BBCA), FSC's development depends first on better integration into already recognised building certification schemes (as is the case in the LEED v5 system) in order to simplify processes and pool requirements. Tristan Perret (Forestry France) believes the priority is to raise greater awareness of forestry work and the realities of responsible forest management. Bastien Bouteloup (Woodeum) meanwhile notes that, in a challenging real estate context, the benefits provided by forests (biodiversity, wellbeing and other ecosystem services) must be better valued and translated into terms the markets can understand.
This also requires a shift in narrative. Tullia Baldassarri (Interholco) advocated for promoting "the right wood for the right use" and for more positive communication around certified wood : a view shared by Erik Sneek (SWI, Dutch importer), who stressed the importance of continuing to raise awareness among decision-makers and specifiers about the benefits of certified wood.
Finally, Charly Reignier (Stora Enso) reminded the audience that supply chains already exist and that the industry is capable of producing FSC wood: "Supply is ready; it is now demand that needs to accelerate." Food for thought!
Ultimately, as the construction sector evolves, FSC's development depends less on new standards than on the collective ability to demonstrate, explain and communicate the real benefits of responsible forest management, so that this value is recognised by markets, local authorities and citizens alike.
A closing cocktail on responsible procurement
On Thursday 4 June, we closed our participation in the fair with our cocktail "Cross perspectives on certified wood and responsible procurement", bringing together speakers from four corners of the world who share a common commitment: making FSC-certified wood a concrete lever for more responsible supply chains. From the Selva Maya to Indonesia, via public procurement in France, it was a rich event that demonstrated how traceability, certification and sustainable practices are transforming the forest-wood sector.
We warmly thank all the speakers: Benoît Jobbé-Duval (ATIBT); José Román Carrera and Carlos Estrada (Rainforest Alliance); Budi Hermawan (Kayu Lapis Indonesia); Clément Lachaud (WWF France); Scott Francisco (Pilot Projects Collaborative / Cities4Forests) and Quentin d'Huart (Timbtrack). 
On this occasion, WWF-France gave an exclusive preview of its new report on the environmental challenges related to public procurement of wood products.
Key takeaways
This 2026 edition confirmed an encouraging trend: one third of the companies exhibiting at the Carrefour International du Bois were FSC-certified (a figure up from the previous edition) demonstrating growing demand for certified, traceable and responsible products.
See you in two years for the next edition!