FSC certification requires organizations to demonstrate conservation and restoration benefits in managed forests, including plantation forests. Organisations and their affiliated corporate groups that wish to be associated with FSC also need to demonstrate that they are not converting natural forests and ecosystems whether it is for timber, pulp or any other forest-risk commodity such as palm oil.
This requirement stems from the Policy for Association (PfA), adopted in 2009 that includes thresholds for forest conversion, along with five other unacceptable activities that can lead to disassociation. The PfA enables FSC to expel companies and the affiliated corporate group(s) that are involved in conversion or in any of the other unacceptable activities, in any part of their operations, certified or not, from the FSC system.
Read more in the document below.