Certifications for responsible tree products

The FSC (forest stewardship council, https://ca.fsc.org/en-ca) is the most common and reliable certification for sustainable wood. It has very strict standards for well-managed forests, which include cutting wood at a sustainable rate (ie: it can regenerate), protecting endangered species, protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, workers and local communities and more. There are three certifications:

  • FSC 100% is paper or wood that is 100% from FSC-certified forests.
  • FSC recycled is for paper or wood that is made from re-used or reclaimed material (anyone can claim that their paper is recycled, but this certification assures that it is).
  • FSC MIX is wood where up to 30% of the wood can come from "controlled forests" which are not certified but must meet some standards. (Not as good as FSC 100% or FSC recycled).

Some other labels to look out for:

The rainforest alliance is a non-profit that was one of the founders of FSC, so if you see their seal it is the same as if the product was FSC certified.
The SFI or sustainable forestry initiative is another common certification, but its standards are worse than FSC’s. For example, it allows genetically modified trees, monocultures and “prudent” use of persistent and/or bioaccumulative pesticides. This is because SFI was developed by logging companies, while FSC was developed by a group of people, including environmental and human rights groups. SFI is still better than no certification, but FSC is ideal.