Consultation
Following the Risk Assessment Development Procedure, we are opening a focused stakeholder consultation from 30 June 2025 to 12 August 2025.
You can participate in the stakeholder consultation in two ways:
- Log in to the FSC platform, here you can access the full stakeholder consultation package and submit your comments through the FSC questionnaire.
- Express your interest in joining the stakeholder consultation by sending an email to sourcinghub@preferredbynature.org.
Preferred by Nature will be able to send you the stakeholder consultation package directly, and you can submit your comments to Preferred by Nature though their Stakeholder feedback form, their questionnaire or directly by email. You can also go to the FSC Platform to submit your feedback.
The FSC Risk Assessment
FSC Risk Assessments assess the risk related to the sourcing of material from supply areas and establish mitigation measures to address those identified risks. The risk assessment is a document that contains indicators covering several key requirements for FSC such as High Conservation Values, human and labour rights, environmental protection, among others.
The risk assessment report analyses the risks associated with sourcing across 12 topics and 64 indicators (please see the categories and sub-categories evaluated below). For each of the indicators, Preferred by Nature have:
- Identified all applicable legislation (where applicable);
- Provided sources of information;
- Described the legal requirements;
- Analysed the risk of non-compliance with legal requirements or sustainability indicators;
- Concluded whether there is a non-negligible or negligible risk that the law is breached or where issues have been identified related to certain sustainability topics;
- Where the risk is specified, outlined actions that can be taken to mitigate the identified risks (Risk mitigation measures).
Considerations when submitting feedback
In providing your feedback, please provide as much detail as possible and provide sources and evidence to support your comments. Please be aware that clear and undisputable evidence must be provided for stakeholder feedback to result in amendment to the risk assessment, particularly one that changes a risk determination and/or changes a risk mitigation recommendation. Examples of clear and indisputable evidence may include but are not limited to:
a) changes in legislation,
b) newly published evidence not included in the risk assessment
c) agreement or disagreement with the risk conclusions
We would like your general comments on the following points:
1. Does this risk assessment cover all applicable legal requirements concerning the forestry sector? Are there any current legislative changes not captured in our analysis?
2. Do you agree or disagree on the risk conclusion for each category? If you disagree, please comment and provide any relevant information (where possible) that might have been missed.
3. Regarding risk mitigation measures, are there further risk mitigation measures relevant to the non-negligible risk indicators which could address the risk identified?
4. Related to Third parties’ rights, please consider:
a) For indicator 42, 43, 44, 45 and 48 (Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Peoples rights), are there concerns related to traditional peoples and local communities within the UK?
b) For indicators 46-48; local communities (or local peoples, as outlined in the UK FSS) – the new RA procedure has a broader scope of their rights and interests. In the 2018 risk assessment, the focus was only on fundamental/critical importance of forest resources (HCV5 and HCV6). The new RA includes all the forest-related rights and interests of local communities/peoples, e.g. recreation among others. Is access to recreational use of the forest a topic of concern in the UK? Are there other topics that should be raised?
5. For indicator 57, there is a little evidence to suggest land conversion in the UK a risk and therefore it negligible risk, do you agree with this conclusion? (except for land converted for nature restoration purposes such as meadows etc).
6. For indicator 63 on cultural and historical values, following expert input this has been raised as non-negligible risk for Northern Ireland and Scotland. Do you agree with this conclusion?
7. For indicator 24 (chemicals), there is no evidence to suggest chemical compliance is an issue within the UK, do you agree with this conclusion?
8. For indicator 27 & 28 (child labour), there is no evidence to suggest child labour is an issue within the UK, do you agree with this conclusion?
9. For indicator 32 (collective bargaining), there is no evidence to suggest there is an issue within the UK, do you agree with this conclusion?
Once the stakeholder consultation period has concluded, all stakeholder feedback will be reviewed and the Risk Assessment amended accordingly. You may be contacted again once your feedback has been received if there are any queries regarding the information you have provided. All stakeholder feedback will be included in a Stakeholder Feedback Report. This report will contain a complete and accurate record of the review and consideration of all stakeholder feedback that indicates how feedback was incorporated or provided a response/justification for not including it in the final version. If you wish to remain anonymous, please clearly indicate this in the feedback you provide.
FSC Risk Assessment Development
FSC is publishing the development and consultations of FSC Risk Assessments on the FSC Country Requirements Schedule page. Stakeholders can also sign up to be informed on upcoming FSC Risk Assessment consultations.
Approved, EUDR-aligned FSC Risk Assessments are available here.