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Facilitating Remedy and Reform After Involvement in Destructive Forestry Activities

After an organization has been excluded from the FSC scheme and they demonstrate real commitment to change, we bring them together with those who’ve been affected by destructive activities. Through extensive collaboration and consultation, we work out how to remedy the harm caused and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Lake
FSC Denmark

Restoring and resolving

Organizations that commit to this stringent process and implement change – from restoring degraded habitats and resolving community conflicts, to strengthening due diligence and community engagement procedures – are welcomed back into the FSC scheme.

So far, two organizations have seen this process through, delivering lasting, positive impact in the areas where they operate.

Process

The process for remedy and reform

FSC is working on a standardized and replicable process for addressing environmental and social harm arising from unacceptable activities referred to as the generic roadmap process for ending disassociation. Each ending disassociation process will be shaped by the verified unacceptable activities and the related impacts on affected stakeholders and environmental values while the overall requirements for achieving remedy and reform remain the same.

In order to achieve this, FSC is testing the elements and concepts in the ending disassociation process. The draft process and steps have been defined in the following graphic outlining 5 basic steps. Within each step of the process, FSC will be identifying and testing specified elements to ensure a robust and meaningful completion of each step. For an overview of the work we are doing now to test different parts of the ending disassociation process to be completed early 2022 please review the document here.

 

01Assessment
The organization's commitment to reform is assessed
02Requirements are set
The organization and FSC collaboratively establish the requirements for remedy and reform
03Implementation
The organization implements the agreed upon requirements
04Verification
The actions taken by the organization are verified
05Decision
The FSC Board of Directors take all factors into account and make a decision about whether or not disassociation can end

01. Assessment: The organization's commitment to reform is assessed

02. Requirements are set: The organization and FSC collaboratively establish the requirements for remedy and reform

03. Implementation: The organization implements the agreed upon requirements

04. Verification: The actions taken by the organization are verified

05. Decision: The FSC Board of Directors take all factors into account and make a decision about whether or not disassociation can end

FAQs

  1. Why do we set more requirements than those already part of the FSC certification process?

    FSC is a scheme addressing the needs of stakeholders, companies and forests in a fair and equitable manner.

    However, when engaging in unacceptable activities such as deforestation and human rights violations, there has been significant harm to surrounding communities, stakeholders and to the forest.

    FSC needs to protect the integrity of its system by ensuring that any organization that has been found complicit in unacceptable activities truly reforms by going beyond normal certification requirements and directly addressing past harms as identified by stakeholders.

  2. Who’s involved in setting the requirements?

    The requirements towards addressing remedy and reform are set through an extensive stakeholder engagement process. Stakeholders include affected parties, local and international organizations, and any other appropriate party.

    Additionally, these requirements are posted to the FSC International website to go through a public consultation via the FSC Consultation Platform.

  3. What kind of requirements are set?

    A range of requirements is set addressing remedying past harm and preventing re-occurrence of engaging in unacceptable activities.

    Depending on what violations occurred, the requirements set out direct actions, as well as establishing indicators for verification and addressing structural issues.

    FSC cannot certify intent and as such establishes requirements that indicate actual, verified sustainable impact that has been agreed on by affected stakeholders to reform detrimental actions and behaviour by companies.

  4. How do we check whether the requirements are being fulfilled?

    After indication that the requirements have been fulfilled, an independent third party is called in to verify that this is, in fact, the case. This third party is a competent authority that can impartially evaluate conformance and is selected and approved by FSC in consultation with affected stakeholders and the excluded organization.

  5. Who decides whether an organization can come back to the FSC scheme?

    Only the FSC International Board of Directors can make the final decision to allow an excluded organization back into the FSC scheme.