Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

All the cardboard and paper we use in our packaging, as well as the wood we use in our pacifier clip is FSC-approved. Accordingly, we want to explain a little bit about the FSC, and why it is important to us always to use FSC-approved materials.

For BIBS ‘corporate social responsibility and sustainability are more than just buzzwords. We want to be part of the solution when it comes to environmental and social issues. That is why using FSC-approved materials is important for us.

What is FSC

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-profit organization that protects forests for future generations.

FSC is an open, membership-led organization that sets standards under which forests and companies are certified. Their overall goal consists of three equally weighted subjects - environmental, economic, and social - to ensure the balance and the highest level of integrity.

What do FSC

FSC issues certification that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Because FSC is the gold standard in forest certification, it is the only system supported by groups such as WWF, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Natural Resources Defense Council, and National Wildlife Federation.

The value of FSC

Forests are home to nearly half of the world's species, including some of the most endangered birds and mammals, such as orangutans, gorillas, and pandas.

Deforestation and forest degradation are the second leading cause of carbon pollution, causing 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

There are significant reasons to choose FSC-certified products:

• Environmental Protection – FSC’s forest management standards expand protection of water quality, prohibit harvest of rare old-growth forests, prevent loss of natural forest cover, and prohibit highly hazardous chemicals, which are all unique aspects of the system. For example, FSC prohibits the use of atrazine, which is otherwise legal in the US but banned in Europe because it has been shown to cause water pollution and birth defects.

Forest management shall conserve biological diversity and its associated values, water resources, soils, and unique and fragile ecosystems and landscapes, and by doing so, maintain the ecological functions and the integrity of the forest.

• Community Engagement and Worker’s Rights - FSC requires forest managers - on both public and private lands - to engage local community members and to protect the customary rights of indigenous people, ensuring their voices are part of the certification process and impacts of forest operations are addressed. Forest management operations shall maintain or enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities.

In addition, FSC requires the results of certification audits to be released to the public, even on private lands, which makes FSC unique among forest certifications.

There are of course many other reasons and benefits to FSC. If you want to read more and educate yourself on the topic, you can read more about FSC here: www.fsc.org