FSC certification in textiles for sustainable forest management

Man-made cellulosic fibres are fibres made from the dissolved wood pulp (cellulose) of trees. 

Viscose, lyocell, acetate and modal are all examples of man-made cellulosic fibres. 

The main environmental issues related to man-made cellulosic fibres are:

• Exploitation of forest resources: viscose production is contributing to the rapid depletion of the world's forests. It is estimated that about 30% of rayon and viscose used in fashion is produced with pulp from ancient and endangered forests
• Chemicals used in processing: the production process of man-made cellulosic fibres involves the use of hazardous chemicals. Within the viscose and modal production process, chemicals react with the cellulose and create by-products that could be released into the air, water and soil if the production process is not an integrated (closed-loop) process.

In order for the production processes of such fibres to be considered environmentally friendly, it is necessary to responsibly manage the forest resources and chemicals used.

This article focuses on the first point and, therefore, on forest management.

As pointed out by Textile Exchange, the production process of man-made cellulosic fibres can contribute to deforestation if the wood used does not come from responsibly managed forests.

Also according to the report 'COMING FULL CIRCLE: INNOVATING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE MAN-MADE CELLULOSIC FIBRES' by Fashion For Good, the production of man-made cellulosic fibres can encourage the deforestation of ancient and endangered forests that, if maintained, would instead be able to store 40 times more carbon per hectare than industrial forests. The report emphasises the importance of curbing deforestation as forests can protect biodiversity as they are home to 80 per cent of all the earth's biodiversity.

One of the certifications that help to limit these environmental criticalities is the Forest Stewardship Council, an international, independent, third-party certification specifically for the forestry sector and the products - wood and non-wood - derived from forests, created with the aim of protecting forests and those who depend on them, i.e. plant and animal species, the rights of indigenous peoples, the safety of forestry workers and much more.

The types of certifications issued by FSC

There are two types of FSC certification: Forest Management (FM), for forest owners and managers, and Chain of Custody (CoC), for companies that process and/or sell forest products:

• Forest Management (FM) certification ensures that a forest or forest plantation is managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. These standards are based on the 10 Principles and 70 Criteria for Responsible Forest Management, defined by FSC. 
• Chain of Custody (CoC) certification guarantees the traceability of materials from FSC-certified forests and is indispensable for applying FSC labels on products. With this certification, an organisation can demonstrate its contribution to responsible forest management in a correct, transparent and controlled manner.

The use of FSC certification is essential for companies to assure consumers that the products they sell come from responsibly and sustainably managed forests.

The different types of FSC labels on products

FSC labels can only be used by certified companies on certified products and guarantee that the product has been made of wood or paper from responsible sources.

The labels allow certified products to be distinguished into three different material categories, based on the composition of the products

• FSC 100%: indicates that the product consists exclusively of inputs from FSC-certified forests
• FSC Recycled: indicates that the wood or paper of which the product is made comes from recycled and recovered material
• FSC Mixed: indicates that the wood or paper within the product comes from FSC certified material, recycled material and/or controlled wood (not less than 70% certified and/or recycled material).

How to obtain FSC certification?

Before starting the certification process, it is necessary to identify the type of FSC certification you are interested in and read the reference standards in order to identify the requirements and obligations.

The Forest Stewardship Council is not the body responsible for issuing certificates, in fact this process is carried out by independent organisations called Certification Bodies.

These bodies, accredited by Assurance Services International (ASI), are the only ones authorised to assess Forest Stewardship and Chain of Custody operations based on the applicable FSC Standards.

The Forest Stewardship Council, in a quick guide, indicates 3 necessary steps to obtain certification:

• Contact one or more FSC-accredited Certification Bodies: in this step it is necessary to provide the body with some data about the organisation (size, number of production sites, how material is stored in the warehouse) in order to allow an estimate of the time and cost of the certification process;
• Support the audit: the certification body entrusts the audit to a professional. The audit takes place at the forest or organisation to verify compliance with standards;
• Obtain certification: a positive outcome of the audit determines the possibility of obtaining FSC certification. It will then be possible to sell the FSC material and products as certified and place the unique code on them. FSC certificates are valid for five years and the accredited certification body will carry out annual surveillance audits to verify continued compliance with the requirements.

What are the benefits of FSC certification?

The adoption of FSC certification by companies can provide several types of environmental and social benefits:

• Environmental protection: FSC certifications guarantee the protection of water quality, prohibit the cutting down of old forests, prevent the loss of forest cover and prohibit the use of highly toxic chemicals. For example, FSC prohibits the use of atrazine, a substance that is legal in the US but not in Europe. According to FSC, this substance causes water pollution and malformation of foetuses;
• Access to new markets: more and more consumers, governments and public administrations are demanding FSC-labelled products. For example, green building standards such as the US Green Building Council's LEED programme provide incentives for the use of FSC-certified building materials;
• Increased involvement of local communities: FSC requires forest managers on both public and private lands to involve members of local communities in decision-making processes and to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.

Case study - Lenzing

The Austrian company Lenzing is a pioneer in the production of environmentally friendly man-made cellulosic fibres. Lenzing has created the Tencel^TM label with which it certifies the production of Lyocell and Modal cellulosic fibres produced in a closed-loop process that contributes to the circular economy in the textile industry. 

The raw materials processed by the company come from responsibly and sustainably managed forests. In fact, Lenzing almost exclusively purchases wood certified according to recognised sustainability criteria, such as the FSC® and PEFC™ standards, the Programme for the Mutual Recognition of Forest Certification Schemes, which was created to promote sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification.

This forest certification is a voluntary instrument implemented through two separate but related processes: 

• Sustainable forest management certification: ensures that forests are managed in line with stringent environmental, social and economic requirements
• Chain-of-Custody Certification: tracks forest products from sustainably managed forests to the final product. It demonstrates that each stage of the supply chain is carefully monitored through independent audits to ensure that non-sustainable sources are excluded.

In the latest Hot Button Report by Canopy, the Canadian organisation that aims to conserve and protect ancient and endangered forests, Lenzing achieved a green jersey ranking. This demonstrates the Austrian company's low risk of sourcing wood from ancient and endangered forests.

The importance of Canopy in sustainable forest management

Canopy is a Canadian non-profit organisation that has been working for over 20 years to make the pulp supply chain more sustainable, with a focus on the sustainable management of ancient and endangered forests. 

Each year, it publishes the 'Hot Button Report', a comprehensive analysis of viscose producers worldwide, carried out through spot audits at companies, assessing their contribution to forest conservation, use of alternative fibres, sourcing policies, transparency and traceability.

In addition, through collaboration with ZDHC, Canopy also assesses chemical risk management.

According to Canopy, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label offers a much greater degree of assurance than other certification schemes, as it guarantees chain-of-custody tracking, transparency of management plans, protection of indigenous peoples' rights and strict limits on conversion of natural forest land.

The limitations of FSC certification

Greenpeace considers FSC's guiding principles and governance model to be adequate, however it identifies three areas of criticality in the certification:

• Uniformity in the implementation of FSC schemes: Greenpeace believes that FSC's principles and criteria are not uniformly applied in the different countries where FSC operates. In some regions, FSC certification has improved forestry practices, but in others it has not achieved its goal of conserving forests and providing social benefits. This is particularly the case in countries where democratic institutions are weak and the level of corruption is high.
• Forest conservation: Greenpeace believes that FSC is not doing enough in terms of forest conservation. Although FSC includes standards for forest conservation and is useful in this regard, Greenpeace believes that FSC is currently focusing on commercial forestry operations and should improve its standards to ensure adequate protection, on a large scale, in all forest regions around the world.
• Transparency: FSC (as well as other forest certification systems) should make public digital maps of certified forest management units and supply areas considered 'low risk'.

Furthermore, Greenpeace recommends the purchase of products labelled FSC 100% while discouraging 'FSC Mixed' products as they may contain wood or pulp from High Conservation Value areas and where the rights of Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities have been violated. 

Conclusions

The main environmental issues related to the production of man-made cellulosic fibres are related to the management of forest resources and the management of chemicals in the transformation processes.

In this article, only the issue of sustainable forest management has been dealt with.

In this regard, the Forest Stewardship Council, an international, independent, third-party certification specifically for the forestry sector and products - woody and non-woody - derived from forests ensures the protection of forests and those who depend on them.

However, Greenpeace has identified some critical issues related to the use of FSC certifications that, in some cases, may not be sufficient to guarantee sustainable forest management.

For this reason, in order to avoid reputational risks, companies should reconcile the adoption of certifications with the definition of an ad hoc sustainability strategy and the monitoring of the production chain.

Cikis supports your company in tracking the supply chain and implementing a sustainability strategy to facilitate the identification and adoption of the most suitable sustainability certification for your business.