Why is forest certification important?
Global forest certification systems, like FSC and PEFC, are effective tools for promoting sustainable consumption and production, and for combating deforestation, forest degradation and illegal logging by providing proof of legality and responsible management, harvesting and manufacturing practices.
They establish specific forest management, woodfibre sourcing, traceability, Chain of Custody tracking and marketing requirements for certified organisations, provide a framework for independent third-party auditing, and govern the use of promotional and product claims.
Forest certification’s positive impact on the world’s forests is a result of the improved forest management practices in certified forests coupled with the stringent sourcing and due diligence requirements for non-certified woodfibre inputs. Certificate holders must ensure that all non-certified woodfibre inputs mixed with certified material are from controlled, non-controversial sources.
This means that the impact of forest certification extends far beyond the certified forests. Additionally, forest certification requires certificate holders to implement procedures to track and trace the origin of the wood, which is necessary to drive change and support sustainable and transparent supply chains.
Robust and inclusive standard setting processes
FSC and PEFC (incl. SFI) forest certification standards establish core criteria and indicators that address long-term sustainability; these standards, in turn, underpin a consistent global governance structure.
Forest management measures and procurement operations must be compliant with all applicable laws/regulations, with a primary focus on ensuring wood is harvested in accordance with sound environmental practices. This includes a focus on sustained yield, forest health, regeneration, conservation of biological diversity, soil and water protection, invasive species management, etc.
Forest certification standards are periodically revised via transparent and inclusive processes to incorporate best-available scientific research and understanding of emerging issues.
Certificate holders are required to undergo annual audits conducted by independent, third-party accredited certification bodies to measure and verify conformance to the standard(s). Successful completion of audits enables certificate holders to offer certified products in the marketplace with verified claims of responsible forest management, sourcing and/or chain of custody tracking.
Robust and inclusive standard setting processes
FSC and PEFC (incl. SFI) forest certification standards establish core criteria and indicators that address long-term sustainability; these standards, in turn, underpin a consistent global governance structure.
Forest management measures and procurement operations must be compliant with all applicable laws/regulations, with a primary focus on ensuring wood is harvested in accordance with sound environmental practices. This includes a focus on sustained yield, forest health, regeneration, conservation of biological diversity, soil and water protection, invasive species management, etc.
Forest certification standards are periodically revised via transparent and inclusive processes to incorporate best-available scientific research and understanding of emerging issues.
Certificate holders are required to undergo annual audits conducted by independent, third-party accredited certification bodies to measure and verify conformance to the standard(s). Successful completion of audits enables certificate holders to offer certified products in the marketplace with verified claims of responsible forest management, sourcing and/or chain of custody tracking.
From certified forests to certified products
Forest certification systems encompass three separate, yet closely interlinked, focus areas, each requiring annual, independent, third-party assessments of compliance to pre-determined standards:
Forest Management (FM)
Forest Management (FM) certification is a process for verifying the compliance of forest management practices with standards and criteria for responsible forest management. Forest landowners/managers wishing to promote their forests as responsibly-managed and their forest products as responsibly-harvested in compliance with one of the certification standards, must achieve and maintain FM certificate(s).
Chain of Custody (CoC)
Chain of Custody (CoC) certification is a mechanism for tracing certified woodfibre from the forest to the final product. CoC certification empowers consumers to make responsible purchasing decisions by providing assurance that the fibre in a product about which a claim is being made can be linked back to a certified forest. Manufacturing sites that purchase certified woodfibre and sell forest-based products with certification claims must achieve and maintain CoC certifications. Forest certification claims are only valid if each link in the chain is certified. For a final product to qualify for CoC claims, all entities who take legal ownership of the material/product along the supply chain must be CoC-certified to ensure an unbroken chain from the certified forest to the final certified wood-based product.
Fibre Sourcing / Controlled Wood
Fibre Sourcing / Controlled Wood certification ensures avoidance of controversial/unacceptable sources for fibre mixed with certified content. Procurement and manufacturing companies that mix certified and non-certified fibre must implement Due Diligence System (DDS) procedures to assess geographic and supply-chain risk. (Note, in the case of PEFC this is part of the CoC standard.) Product that is not sold with CoC claims may be eligible for verified responsible sourcing claims under a SFI Fiber Sourcing and/or FSC Controlled Wood.
Traceability is paramount
Knowing the origin of woodfibre is a fundamental element of certified chain of custody systems.
Sappi’s mills are FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certified since 2008, and all mills (except Stanger Mill and Lomati Sawmill) are also PEFC CoC certified, including SFI in the USA and Canada.
This ensures 100% traceability of woodfibre to its origin. Each delivery is verified to originate from controlled, non-controversial sources per FSC and PEFC standards. Our suppliers report at least annually on the country of harvest and tree species. Third-party certification bodies perform annual surveillance audits, while Sappi’s internal audit programmes cover all mills. Any detected non-conformities or improvement points are addressed with action plans to ensure continuous improvement of processes and procedures.
Sappi’s forests are both FSC and PEFC certified
In South Africa, Sappi manages over 400,000 hectares of land, and all are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™ C012316) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (SA-PEFCFM- 001230).
This includes 139,000 hectares of unplanted natural areas for biodiversity conservation. Sappi has held FSC certification for over two decades and was the first to receive the PEFC Forest Management certificate in South Africa in 2021. The Sustainable African Forestry Assurance Scheme (SAFAS), which is endorsed by PEFC, incorporates cutting-edge, and effective approaches to make forest certification more accessible especially to small landowners.
Creating opportunities for forest owners in South Africa
Sappi is committed to promoting the certification of small and medium-sized growers in South Africa, offering two group certification schemes to make forest certification more accessible.
This provides true win-win opportunities: Many of Sappi’s wood suppliers are in remote rural communities with limited employment opportunities and a need for infrastructure development. By increasing small grower certification, Sappi drives positive socioeconomic impacts throughout the wood value chain. Forest certification enhances market access, credibility and trust in forest management practices, ensuring responsible environmental management and business sustainability.
Forest certification standards establish a common “language” by establishing core criteria and indicators that address long-term sustainability; these standards, in turn, underpin a consistent global governance structure. Forest certification requires forest management and procurement operations to be in compliance with all applicable laws/regulations, with a primary focus on ensuring wood is harvested in accordance with sound environmental practices. This includes a focus on sustained yield (growth minus removals), forest health, regeneration, conservation of biological diversity, soil and water protection, invasive species management, etc.
Forest certification standards are periodically revised via transparent and inclusive processes to incorporate best-available scientific research and understanding of emerging issues. Certificate holders are required to undergo annual audits conducted by independent, third-party accredited certification bodies to measure and verify conformance to the standard(s). Successful completion of audits enables certificate holders to sell certified products in the marketplace with verified claims of responsible forest management, sourcing and/or chain of custody tracking.
Why isn’t all the wood certified?
Sappi promotes the increased use of certified woodfibre throughout our supply and value chains, and our goal is to offer our customers a wide basket of products that are certified by at least one independent third-party verified, credible system.
Although the countries in which Sappi operates maintain a comparatively high share of certification, globally, only about 10% of the world’s forests are certified. Despite all the tangible benefits of forest certification and positive impact on forest management and sourcing practices, it is important to recognise that forest certification may not be the “right tool in the toolbox” for all landowners and scenarios. Forest certification is complex and at times not financially viable or operationally practical for small private forest landowners, farmers and/or community growers.
Given the limited availability of certified woodfibre, nearly all supply chains use a blend of certified and uncertified fibre. To maintain the highest levels of assurance, forest certification systems instituted additional control measures for fibre from uncertified lands to ensure avoidance of controversial sources.
What does controlled wood stand for?
Globally, all wood and pulp sourced for Sappi meets the requirements of the FSC Controlled Wood standard at a minimum. Controlled wood standards prevent any controversial woodfibre entering our mills.
There are five categories of controversial woodfibre that cannot be mixed with our materials:
- Illegally harvested wood
- Wood harvested in violation of traditional and human rights
- Wood harvested from forests in which high conservation values are threatened by management activities
- Wood harvested from areas being converted from forests to plantations or non-forest use
- Wood from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted
SFI, a PEFC-endorsed certification system in the USA and Canada, also has a separate Fibre Sourcing Standard. For Sappi North America’s USA-based paper and packaging mills, all wood and pulp purchases must also meet this standard, which has additional requirements beyond avoiding controversial sources. These requirements include landowner outreach, use of qualified resources and qualified logging professionals, investment in forest research, as well as adherence to best management practices.
Fast facts about forest certification with Sappi
- We recognise credible third-party forest certification systems including the FSC™, PEFC, SFI® and other PEFC-endorsed systems.
- Forest certification provides assurance that our products originate from responsibly-managed forests.
- All our pulp and paper mills are Chain of Custody certified.
- We require suppliers to provide evidence that all woodfibre is sourced from controlled, non-controversial sources.
- Sappi’s forests in South Africa are both FSC and PEFC certified.
- Knowing the origin of wood is a fundamental prerequisite to ensure responsible sourcing.
- Our global goal to increase certified fibre supplied to our mills is supported by regional targets.
- We promote the increased use of certified woodfibre throughout our supply and value chains.