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UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Certification of forest products: effects and
opportunities
Kit Prins
Chief, Timber Branch
UNECE Tade Development an Timber Division
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Content of presentation
• What is certification of forest products?
• Background and history
• Present situation
• Main issues
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
What are certified forest products?
• CFPs bear labels demonstrating in a verifiable manner by independent bodies that come from forests that meet standards for sustainable forest management
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Early 1990s
• Concern about tropical deforestation
• Preparations for Rio 1992 (proposals for a Forest Convention)
• Issues of national sovereignty, accusations of neo-colonialism
• Foundation of Forest Stewardship Council, 1993
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Questions
• What is sustainable forest management (SFM), anyway?
• Does it vary between regions?• Who defines SFM and how?• Who certifies and controls?• Who pays?• What about WTO rules?• Who wants to buy CFPs (and will they pay more)?
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Developments during the 1990s
• Development of FSC principles and infrastructure• Intergovernmental dialogue (certification is
“voluntary, market based, instrument”): causes of deforestation, plan of action …
• Regional processes for “criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management”
• Competitors to FSC • Better understanding of commercial potential of
certification
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Situation, mid-2002
• 124 million ha certified forest (90% in northern hemisphere) (3.2% of world’s forests)
• Competing certification systems• Increasing consensus on what is
“sustainable forest management” (incl. variations between regions)
• Lukewarm consumers, keen retailers
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Situation, mid 2002 (cont.)
• Bottleneck: chain of custody certificates• Attempts to gain mutual recognition• Motives: company image, competitive
advantage• Lead in north-west Europe, North America• Usually no price premium, limited direct
consumer demand• Wide range of goods available, mostly FSC
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
The main players:
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): global, NGOs retailers, dominant in market place
• Pan-European Forest Certification System (PEFC): forest owners, European forest industry, largest forest area, group certification
• Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), Canadian standards Association (CSA)
• Indonesian, Malaysian national systems• Certifiers (SGS, SCS, …)
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Area of certified forest
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Million h
ecta
res
FSC PEFC SFI CSA ATFS
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
36.8 43.1
24.1
29.0
12.4
32.5
5.4
8.8 10.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
millions of hectares
PEFC FSC SFI CSA AFTS
Mid 2001 Mid 2002
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Issues
• Is competition between systems confusing consumers?
• How can developing countries benefit from certification?
• Is certification of sustainable forest management too ambitious? Is certification of origin an adequate substitute?
• Need to resolve chain-of custody shortage• Role of governments and public procurement?
UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Environmental Requirements and International Trade. 2 October 2002
United NationsEconomic Commission for EuropeTrade Development and Timber Division
Further information
• Forest Certification Update for the UNECE Region, summer 2002 (ECE/TIM/DP/25)
• ECE/FAO market information service website: http://www.unece.org/trade/timber/mis/cfp.htm (with links)
• ECE/FAO Forest Products Annual Market Review