Know the FSC seal. Forests, for all, forever!

Forests occur in four major climate zones: boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical. In total, they cover 4.06 billion hectares, corresponding to 31% of the world’s land area (CHANG, 2025). Yet, according to a report by The State of the World's Forests (SOFO, 2018), forests are responsible for more than 75% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.

However, forest areas are shrinking more and more, especially in the tropics. Between 1990 and 2020,420 million hectares of forests were deforested, although in the last decade this rate has decreased. It is estimated that 10 million hectares were deforested per year between 2015-2020. This value is not fully compensated by the expansion of natural and planted forests, with only 5 million hectares planted per year in the same period (FAO, 2020). There are several causes for deforestation, such as urbanization, agricultural expansion, burning and illegal logging. According to the Timber Exploitation Monitoring System (SIMEX), from 2021 to 2023, deforestation by illegal logging increased by 19% only in the Amazon, and it is clear that actions are needed to mitigate these alarming rates.

It is in this context that the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification becomes useful. FSC® is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1994 that promotes responsible forest management worldwide through an innovative and unique certification system that equally takes into account social, environmental and economic perspectives. The organization is headquartered in Germany and Mexico and is present in more than 80 countries, including Brazil.

    With more than 150 million hectares of certified forests and 46% of consumers around the world recognizing the FSC seal, this certification guarantees through its logo, timber and non-timber products originated from responsible forest management. Thus, it creates an incentive for forest owners and managers to manage the natural cycle of the forest in a responsible way with the least possible impact (FSC®, 2025). Basically, FSC has 3 objectives: to add value to products certified with the FSC logo (1), to engage members seeking diversity and quality (2) and to broaden access and facilitate information on FSC certification (3). Being that in Brazil they have a document discussing the strategic plan for the years 2022-2027, and you can access it clicking here.

Legend. Logo of the Forest Stewardship Council® together with the slogan "Forests for all, forever". Crédits: Forest Stewardship Council®.

Therefore, all enterprises that use the forest, when they include FSC certification, obtained through responsible forest management, have an added value in their product. This allows consumers to support companies that help preserve the environment.

For a forest company to obtain the FSC certificate, it needs to check some requirements, given by the certifying company. The requirements meet several areas, such as: monitoring of fauna, restoration of native forest, workers' rights, 100% legally exploited wood inspection, raw material traceability, promotion of environmental education, among others. The certificate is valid for five years, but an annual inspection is carried out in certified companies to ensure compliance with the requirements (FSC®, 2025).

In short, in a reality with alarming rates of deforestation, the FSC certificate shows itself as an essential tool to ensure the sustainability of forests in Brazil and worldwide. The seal stimulates the preservation of ecosystems with the encouragement of responsible practices, adding value and purpose to the final product. By making a purchase whose product contains the FSC seal, the consumer commits to environmental protection, sustainable economic development and social justice, which guarantees an environmentally balanced future for the next generations.

Author/a: Raul Perrone - Vice/ Director of the GEAS Brazil Association

Review: Iago Junqueira  - GEAS BRASIL partner by The Wild Place

Wild Panel of 02/2025

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES:

CHANG, Z. Xiong, X.; Zhang, S.; Wu, J. Modeling and Remote Sensing of the Forest Ecosystem. Forests, 16(1), 101, 2025.  Disponível em:  https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010101

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO). Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA). Rome, 2020.

IMPACTOS E BENEFÍCIOS CERTIFICAÇÃO FSC. Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), 2024. Disponível em: https://br.fsc.org/br-pt/valor-do-fsc/impactos-e-beneficios. Acesso em: 07 de fevereiro de 2025.

SISTEMA DE MONITORAÇÃO DE EXPLORAÇÃO MADEIREIRA (SIMEX). Mapeamento da exploração madeireira na amazônia. Belém: Imazon, Idesam, Imaflora e ICV, Agosto 2022 a Julho 2023.

THE STATE OF THE WORLD´S FORESTS (SOFO). Forest pathways to sustainable development. Rome, 2018.

TIPOS DE CERTIFICAÇÃO FSC. Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), 2024. Disponível em:https://br.fsc.org/br-pt/certificacao/tipos-de-certificacao. Acesso em: 07 de fevereiro de 2025.