The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to supply chain integrity, citing new tools like its blockchain-powered FSC Trace platform and a 2024 Eurasia Integrity Workplan that has already led to the blockage of several certificate holders. The statement addresses recent criticism while highlighting that a motion on implementing volume tracking will be put to a vote at the upcoming FSC General Assembly, according to an FSC release.
The organization directly countered a recent article from Preferred by Nature, stating that its references to widespread false claims are outdated and lack verified evidence. In defense of its current systems, FSC pointed to proactive measures, including ongoing transaction verification in birch plywood supply chains launched in 2023, which has resulted in four certificate holders being blocked. A 2024 field investigation in Kazakhstan also led to two companies exiting the FSC system and one being blocked from recertification.
FSC also addressed a past issue concerning false claims for Paulownia wood used in snowboards, which it uncovered in 2020. The organization stated it has since taken extensive public action, including introducing a specific advice note to strengthen origin confirmation and conducting follow-up verification loops. In a 2022 review of the Paulownia supply chain, only one company was found making false claims and was subsequently blocked. Strengthening system integrity has been set as a global priority for 2026 by the FSC International Board.
