FSC Risk Assessments
FSC Risk Assessments assess the risk of sourcing material from supply areas and establish mitigation measures to address identified risks.
FSC Controlled Wood
The FSC Mix label was introduced in 2004 and allows manufacturers to mix FSC-certified material with non-certified materials in FSC-labelled products under controlled conditions.
The non-certified material subject to these controlled conditions is referred to as "Controlled Wood." This system has enabled manufacturers to maintain an efficient supply chain while creating demand for FSC-certified products.
Controlled Wood Risk Assessments
The FSC Controlled Wood Standard requires the certificate holders that use Controlled Wood to mitigate the risk of using wood products from undesirable sources in FSC-labelled products. Mitigation must be implemented when the risk of sourcing from the following types of forests is great than 'low' (as assessed in FSC risk assessments):
- Illegally harvested forests
- Forests that were harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights
- Forests where High Conservation Values are threatened by management activities
- Natural forests that were converted to non-forest uses
- Forests with genetically modified trees.
FSC controlled wood is a first step to improve forest management, as it imposes a first restriction on the supply of non-certified wood. The related guidelines FSC has developed to define controlled wood lower the risk to include materials from unacceptable sources into FSC Mix labelled products. This helps to address significant problems like illegal logging, human and traditional rights violation, and deforestation.
To reduce the likelihood of sourcing material from unacceptable sources, organisations that use controlled wood must also use risk assessments.
FSC has developed risk assessments for 60 countries. They can be found in the FSC Document Centre.
FSC National Risk Assessment for the UK
This document is an assessment of the risk of sourcing material from unacceptable sources in the United Kingdom, developed according to FSC-PRO-60-002 V3-0 The Development and Approval of FSC National Risk Assessments.
This risk assessment shall be used when implementing FSC-STD-40-005 V3-1 Requirements for Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood in respect of materials harvested in the UK.
Next Generation Risk Assessments
FSC is fundamentally changing its risk evaluations for forests. The next generation of risk assessments will replace the current way of assessing risks in forestry as part of the current controlled wood concept. In an enhanced approach the new risk assessments will be of use for the production of FSC Mix products within the current Controlled Wood concept; but will also serve as a tool for risk evaluation in regards to new legal requirements, such as the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR).
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.
You also may be interested in