The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has announced that it has decided to revoke the Schweighofer Group’s probation status and disassociate from the group.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a global, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of responsible forest management, has announced that it has decided to revoke the Schweighofer Group’s probation status and disassociate from the group. The Austria-headed sawmill and pellet producer had been put on probation in December 2016 pending enquires into irregularities and reported illegalities in the wood supply chain of its Romanian operations.
The decision was taken by FSC’s International Board of Directors after additional information about possible violation of timber measurement standards, which will require further Policy for Association investigation to determine scope and impact, was brought to the board’s attention
FSC considers that initiating an additional investigation is not compatible with maintaining the probation status of the company. The board also considered that these allegations, if confirmed, could carry an increased risk that products not complying with FSC standards and policies might be traded through supply chains under a prolonged probation status, a situation that is considered unacceptable for the organisation.
Fighting unlawful logging in Romania
The Schweighofer Group has informed FSC that it accepts the decision and recognises it as an effective signal to meet stakeholder expectations and encourage their engagement and has consequently decided to terminate its certificates with immediate effect as a way of demonstrating its acceptance and commitment to the FSC Policy for Association.
– We remain fully committed towards fighting unlawful logging in Romania, even though we ourselves do not harvest any trees. We will wholeheartedly continue our course based on transparency, dialogue with environmental organisations and on implementing our action plan for a sustainable forestry industry in Romania, said Frank Aigner, Managing Director of the Schweighofer Group in a statement.
The company, which operates five wood processing facilities in Romania, will continue constructive dialogue with FSC and will develop a roadmap for re-association.
– Our guiding principles remain clear: We will continue to follow the strict regulations laid down by the FSC, regardless of whether the group remains disassociated. The next steps are clear. We will readily discuss with FSC and NGOs, offer our full support to the ensuing investigations and will immediately inform the public as well as our stakeholders as soon as new developments arise, said Aigner.
FSC recognises Schweighofer’s efforts during the past three months to develop a preliminary plan of corrective action and encourages it to use this work to continue discussions and to develop a roadmap to end the disassociation. Depending on the outcome of Schweighofer’s progress, the Board of Directors could consider a gradual approach to re-association for the group’s mills outside of Romania.
– FSC will begin to build a permanent presence in Romania to effectively engage with its members and stakeholders to secure the right mechanisms, such as the establishment of a dedicated solutions forum, to identify long-term solutions to the challenges of responsible forest management in the country. To this effect it will engage in a constructive dialogue with the Schweighofer Group and all relevant stakeholders in the country, said Kim Carstensen, Director General, FSC.
