One recent, very successful example from Italy is FSC’s collaboration with Leroy Merlin, a major home-improvement chain with nearly 400 branches in 12 countries.
The collaboration also involved the European Sustainable Timber Coalition (STTC), and aimed to scale up the supply and use of FSC-certified, sustainable wood products from managed forests.
Leroy Merlin aimed for 80 per cent of its patio furniture to be made from FSC-certified wood by the end of 2015 and highlighted the opportunity for customers to embrace this objective through the highly visible and evocative imagery of FSC’s Forests For All Forever branding. This helped to underscore the role of consumers in preserving the world’s forests for future generations.
Graphics showing the many species and communities supported by forests were displayed on cards, pull-up banners, and promotional leaflets, underscoring how sustainable ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and livelihoods can be achieved through responsible forest management and buying forest-friendly goods. This had the added benefit of showcasing the importance and diversity of wood products far beyond paper. QR codes on the visual materials gave smartphone users access to FSC’s Feel the Forest video.
The video included material commissioned by FSC to raise awareness of illegal logging and deforestation in Indonesian Borneo, and to show how sustainable use of forest products is ensured and sustained through conscientious consumer choices. It was also used at an education project in Rome.
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The success of the project is clear: 80 per cent of the garden furniture sold at Leroy Merlin is now FSC certified, and this is likely to continue with the launch of their spring marketing campaign.