This is the first of a series of articles which will be posted in the run-up to ‘FSC Friday’ (September 25th), with which FSC-Watch aims to highlight some of the on-going problems with FSC certifications.

The world’s leading environmental magazine, the Ecologist, has today published a major feature article on the FSC. The article questions the role of FSC in certiyfing plantations, raises doubts about how ‘multi-stakeholder’ an organisation FSC really is, and questions the motivations of some of the big NGO members of the organisation, including WWF and Greenpeace. The article asks whether regulatory mechanisms are more likely to be effective, and concludes that, whilst there is clearly a high level of public concern about the world’s forests and the impact of wood and paper consumption, “The question is whether labels can live up to our expectations.”

Can we trust the FSC?

By Matilda Lee, 22nd September, 2009

It’s the logo we all look for when buying furniture and wood products. But the Forest Stewardship Council has come in for some serious criticism. Matilda Lee looks at both sides of the argument

UPDATE – 20 May 2014: Back in 2009, The Ecologist kindly agreed to make the full article available to FSC-Watch readers. The full article is now available for all to read on The Ecologist’s website (no subscription necessary).