What Is An FSC-Certified Product?

Why You Should Buy FSC-Certified Goods

Being a sustainable shopper isn't always easy.

Labels, certifications, and verbiage can sometimes make it hard to determine what is truly a green product from one that just uses sustainable materials.

Understanding the various certifications and how they can help you understand the impact of the products you buy, or the materials they are made of, is key to finding products that align perfectly with your conscious ethics and ethically sourced products.

You may have seen a label or certification that reads "FSC" on many items you buy (including all EcoBlvd packaging!), and wondered what it means, or what the FSC even is.

EcoBlvd is here to give you an in-depth understanding as to why the FSC certification is important and what it is required of the goods to receive the certification, as well as what it means for our packaging! 

What Is The Forest Stewardship Council?

The Forest Stewardess Council (FSC) was founded in 1993 to promote responsible forest management.

Forests and companies are certified under FSC standards by a member-led, independent, non-profit organization. To ensure the highest degree of integrity, they have three equally weighted chambers -- environmental, economic, and social.

As part of its mission statement, FSC aims to "promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable forest management throughout the world". To this end, the group has outlined five goals: 

• Promoting responsible forest management on a global scale.
• Ensure that FSC systems are fair and accessible to all.
• Maintain FSC's integrity, credibility, and transparency.
• Achieve business value through the use of FSC-certified products.
• Strengthen the global network so that it can fulfill goals 1 through 4.

Why Is The FSC Important For Sustainable Forestry?

There is no way we can survive on this planet if there are no forests. Their role is to breathe for the Earth, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and replenishing it with oxygen. Forests also help to regulate the global climate by absorbing nearly 40% of the fossil fuel emissions we emit.

Since forests cover over 30% of our planet's land area, it only makes sense to ensure that we are able to preserve their lasting power to sustain our planet's survival.

From an ecological perspective, sustainable forestry is marked by the extent to which forestry practices mimic natural patterns of disturbance and regeneration. As a result of sustainable forestry, we conserve our forests for future generations while supporting decent incomes for forest communities.

The FSC addresses issues such as illegal logging, deforestation, and global warming through direct or indirect actions. This can have positive consequences for economic development, environmental conservation, poverty reduction, and social development.

Furthermore, the use of FSC-certified forests contributes to cleaner air and water, as well as reducing the effects of climate change. 

What Are the FSC Certification Standards?

Having learned what FSC is, what does it stand for, let's take a look at their ten standards that go along with the process of obtaining a certification: 

• Maintain compliance with all applicable laws
• Maintain or improve the social and economic welfare of employees
• Respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Maintain or improve local communities' economic and social well-being;
• Assure that products and services are managed in such a way that they are long-term economically viable, environmentally friendly, and socially beneficial
• Maintain, conserve, or restore ecosystem services and environmental value of managed forests, and minimize negative impacts on the environment
• Create a management plan that outlines the organization's economic, environmental, and social goals;
• Demonstrate progress toward meeting these objectives
• Maintaining or improving high conservation values
• Achieve compliance with the principles and criteria of the FSC in all management activities.

Why You Should Consider FSC-Certified Products

Every year, Americans emit about 20 tonnes of greenhouse gases and use 85 million tonnes of paper, which equates to around 700 pounds per person. Your personal carbon footprint can be reduced as a result of reducing your resource use and managing your personal carbon footprint.

An FSC label or certification signifies that a product has passed rigorous standards for ethical production.

The FSC certification indicates that the forests from which a product or company uses wood were managed in a sustainable manner. As a result of the FSC standard, landowners and wood products manufacturers are required to use responsible forestry practices to protect water quality and avoid using highly hazardous chemicals.

Furthermore, the FSC and its processes contribute to keeping our planet on a path of renewal by protecting our forests, and by helping to clean our air and water! 

Why EcoBlvd Packaging Is FSC Certified

As 28.1% of municipal solid waste generated in 2018 consisted of containers and packaging, which weighed 82.2 million tons, we believe packaging is most beautiful when it’s natural!

EcoBlvd packaging is made from FSC-certified materials, composed of certified recycled paper manufactured by ethical suppliers, making it 100% recyclable, biodegradable, and plastic-free. 

Furthermore, as part of our FSC certification and commitment to sustainability, 80% of our packaging is made from recycled paper, while all of our virgin materials come from renewable resources.

Through our efforts, we are developing solutions to prevent the deforestation and urbanization that have decimated forests throughout the world.

Conclusion:

We can make sustainable and ethical choices in almost everything we do, so let's keep the planet on a path of renewal and help our forests on the #Root2Renew!

Be on the lookout for an FSC-certified seal next time you're buying groceries or any other product.

Buying such products assures you that they comply with one of the world's most stringent environmental standards while also being sustainably sourced.