FSC has more than 29,500 certificate holders in 81 countries worldwide; 8% are held by companies in the UK.
Over 180 million hectares of forests are FSC certified, including more than half of the forest area in the UK. Around 300 million cubic meters of FSC certified wood are harvested every year, constituting 16.6% of the global industrial roundwood market, and 8% of the global fuelwood and industrial roundwood market.
Half of the UK public recognise the FSC logo and 72% are very or fairly likely to give preference to FSC certified products.
FSC certification has positive impacts for people and wildlife, helping to maintain appropriate habitats and push companies toward remarkable social progress . Tropical and small or medium producers, regardless of geography, can also garner significant economic benefits from attaining FSC certification.
FSC certified products are widely available online and on almost every UK high street and business park. The likelihood is that you will have interacted with at least one today, be it the furniture on which you’ve sat, the packaging your food came in or the tissue you used when you visited the bathroom.
On 14th October FSC UK celebrated the anniversary at an event at the London Aquatics Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. The event kicked off with the Annual Members’ Meeting and was followed by entertaining and illuminating speeches by Peter Bonfield OBE, Chief Executive of the BRE Group, and all those who have served as Executive Directorof FSC UK Director: Hannah Scrase, Anna Jenkins, Nick Cliffe, Charles Thwaites MBE and current Director Rosie Teasdale.
Attendees were presented with commemorative spatulas (kindly donated by T&G Woodware) to celebrate the milestone, echoing the first ever FSC labelled product to be produced and sold: a spatula sold in the UK. The Aquatics Centre, part of the first ever dual FSC/PEFC certified project – the London 2012 Olympic Park – and its whale-like roof of FSC certified Red Louro provided a perfect backdrop to show how far FSC has progressed over the past two decades.
We are proud of what we have accomplished in the last 20 years.
In the next 20 we’ll continue to strive for Forests For All Forever.