
The Policy and Standards Committee acts on behalf of the Board of Directors (BoD) with respect to technical matters related to the development or revision of FSC Policies, Standards, Procedures and other FSC normative documents.
The FSC general assembly brings together hundreds of leaders and decision-makers from Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists, businesses, and others from FSC’s membership to discuss a responsible future for the world’s forests, and the people and animals who inhabit them. Delegates also include certification bodies, certificate holders, union representatives, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and observers.
Our membership fees vary according to the location of the individual or organizational member in either the global North or the global South. For organizations, membership fees also vary according to the type and size of the organization.
Theme: Standards & audit systems
Motions discussed: 10, 13, 14, 16, 30, 31, 37, 42, 45, 54, 55, 58, 60.
In this meeting, members discussed the following motions:
*Please note that these motions were modified at the close of the deadline for amending motions (August 31, 2021).
You can watch the recordings of the main plenary session here:
We have a selection of materials and multimedia resources related to your FSC membership in preparation for the GA 2022. Please contact your Membership Regional Coordinator for more information.
This webinar presented the board’s work to implement Motion 63 from 2017, including the efforts to develop a revised Network Policy and Procedure. In the webinar, members got an update on the process for this work, including the upcoming public consultation. The webinar was also relevant for the current motions related to Network Development.
Watch the recording here: English | Spanish (will be available soon)
FSC members vote for the FSC Board of Directors who are accountable to the members. The Board of Directors have the responsibility of monitoring the work of FSC, particularly that the motions passed at the General Assembly are being put forward.
This motion is now the result of a consolidation exercise by the motions proposers/seconders, merging former Motions 37, 38, 39/ 2021.
Motion 37/2021 if passed at the GA, is the motion that will provide the mechanism to update FSC’s highest level framework (P&C’s) and position on conversion (past, present and future) and enable the updated and aligned normative framework in the FSC system, as requested by Motion 07/2017.
The aligned package of normative documents was released for consultation last Friday, 11th March, and more details are available here. We invite you to look at the explanatory documentation in this consultation package.
Also note that Policy Motion 45/2021 - Stop the current process on revision of the FSC Policy on Conversion is connected to this motion and we were able to hear from the proposers of this motion.
We have reached a significant milestone in the relationship between the FSC system and the topic of conversion. We thank those members that joined us in this important dialogue and support FSC to establish new expectations and requirements for conversion- past, present and future- through remedy and restoration, as well as a new cut-off date for excluding material from the FSC system if it originates from converted natural forests or High Conservation Value areas.
We hosted two identical sessions to accommodate different time zones.
FSC International held the Third Conversion Dialogue, which took place online on 03 march 2021 at 10:00 (CET), with an identical second session at 16:00 (CET).
The following topics were covered:
FSC International is pleased to announce the appointment of Marc Jessel as its new Managing Director/Chief Engagement Officer (CENGO), effective on 1 September 2025.
All stakeholders are invited to comment on the review report on FSC-STD-40-004a FSC Product Classification.
In preparation for the FSC General Assembly in 2021, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is preparing knowledge papers, summarizing developments in topics of importance to discussions in FSC’s membership.
The FSC Remedy Framework consultation will now start in mid-March 2022 and stay open for 60 days (until mid-May), instead of opening in February as originally planned.
A new update has just been published on the implementation of general assembly motions.
FSC is extending the deadline of the public consultation on the first draft of FSC Conversion Remedy Procedure until 30 June 2020.
“Supporting responsible forestry” is the new text of the MIX label. The new label will be launched in January 2022 with a transition period of 2.5 years.
The FSC-STD-01-003 SLIMF and Community Forest Eligibility Criteria is open for public consultation from 14 April 2022 to 13 June 2022. This second version of the standard now includes a definition for community forest and increases the flexibility of local adaptation of small or low intensity managed forest (SLIMF) and community forest criteria. The consultation can be accessed here.
As a multi-stakeholder initiative, FSC relies on its diverse array of stakeholders to help ensure the applicability, efficiency, and integrity of our global certification system. We have multiple documents currently available for public consultation that will change key components of FSC and are looking for your input through the FSC Consultation Platform.