Why buy FSC timber?

All wooden Willow Leaf gifts products are made using FSC certified timber. But why is this important? FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council. This is a global not - for -profit organisation who are dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management across the world. Over the years the FSC has gone from strength to strength and have now issued over 39,000 forest certificates.   

Using FSC certified timber is extremely important to me - in addition to being one of the most trusted and recognizable timber certification societies it assures me that my timber has been correctly and ethically sourced. My customers can be confident that the raw material I have used to craft my unique gifts has met the high standards of the FSC. 

Who is FSC 

In 1990 a group of timber users, traders and representatives of environmental and human rights organisations met in California.  They had the idea of creating a system that could credibly identify well-managed forests as sources of responsibly produced wood products. Two years later at the earth summit in Rio De Janeiro the idea of this organisation was supported and in February 1994 the FSC became a legal entity. 

What the FSC does 

• The FSC label guarantees that the trees  harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.
•  Parts of the forest are protected entirely, in order to protect rare animals and plants.
• FSC is the only wood certification scheme endorsed by the major environmental charities, including WWF, Greenpeace and The Woodland Trust.
• FSC protects the rights of indigenous people to use the forest. If they have sacred sites in the forest these are exempt from felling.
• FSC gives an assurance that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the forest.
•  All the wood is tracked from the forest to the store. Every link between the forest and the consumer is certified to make it clearly identifiable which wood is FSC certified and which is not.
•  The FSC label is found on wood and paper products as well as non-timber forest products such as latex. You can find the FSC logo on floors, decking, paper, printed matter, charcoal, kitchen utensils, venison and many more product

Some statistics for you 

• Three quarters of UK citizens believe it is important for the products they purchase to have been responsibly sourced (TNS 2018)
• 55% of people in the UK recognise the FSC logo.
• 69% would prefer to buy a product bearing the FSC logo, compared to one without.