Eco Stewardship Pvt Ltd.

Certifying the sustainable way

Merging business with sustainability

Importance of Forest

Forests play a crucial role for the global environment, population and economy. Apart from minimising the effects of climate change and natural disasters, they represent some of the richest biological areas on this planet. They provide food, renewable raw materials for many of our products, and livelihoods for millions of people.

The over-exploitation of timber products can eventually lead to environmental and socio-economic problems. Deforestation and forest degradation are the second leading contributing factor for carbon pollution. It causes 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from that over utilisation of forest produces an eventually lead to less wood to cook meals and fewer raw materials for small-scale entrepreneurs and artisans to use for generating income. Finding a balance between income generation and destruction is the call of the hour.

The above concern has given rise to sustainable forest management practices and forest certifications.

Sustainable Forest Management

Food and Agriculture Organization has defined sustainable forest management (SFM) as a “dynamic and evolving concept, which aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations”. Forests and trees, when sustainably managed, make vital contributions both to people and the planet, bolstering livelihoods, providing clean air and water, conserving biodiversity and responding to climate change.

Forest Certification

Forest certification was introduced in the early 1990s to address concerns of deforestation and forest degradation and to promote the maintenance of biological diversity, especially in the tropics. Mostly pushed by environmental groups in initial days, it quickly evolved as a potential instrument to promote sustainable forest management (SFM).

The aim of forest certification is to promote SFM with the help of criteria and indicators (C&I) for SFM. C&I sets are mainly developed at an inter-national level abiding national and reginal regulations.

Need for Certification

Forest certification is an organised mechanism through which one can monitor, trace and label timber, wood and pulp products and non-timber forest products, where the quality of forest management is judged against a series of agreed standards.

Credible forest certification not only covers logging practices but also accounts for the social and economic well-being of workers and local communities, transparency, inclusiveness in decision making and problem mitigation system.

Certification enables a company to demonstrate ones legal and sustainable sourcing of forest products to your customers. It also provides you with a variety of advantages that help the environment, people, and your bottom line, such as access to new markets and compliance with legislation.