How can retailers ensure that fashion garments and accessories they sell are sourced from sustainably managed and certified local forests? How do companies become certified in producing and selling the Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC®)-certified fashion items in the Southern African marketplace?
These intriguing questions were the topic of a workshop series hosted by FSC® on 12 and 14 June 2023, in Durban and Cape Town. Buyers, designers, sustainability leads and sourcing specialists from leading retailers were among the audience. Included in the itinerary for the Durban group was a site visit to the Saiccor Mill, where the group learnt more about Sappi’s global role as one of the largest producers of dissolving pulp (Sappi Verve) made sourced from its FSC plantations, and about the traceability of its pulp to origin through its Chain of Custody certification and the blockchain technology employed by its customers.