Regenerating and Restoring our Forests: An Interview with the Forest Stewardship Council
Image credit: Copyright. FSC GD / Arturo Escobar
Look inside your wardrobe and you will most likely find at least one shirt or dress made from viscose (also known as rayon). This fibre category are referred to as regenerated cellulosics, or man- made cellulosic fibres (MMC’s), and they are the second most important group of cellulose based fibres after cotton, with an average demand of 5-6 million tons annually.
Viscose is derived from cellulose that is mainly sourced from hardwood forests and plantations (usually wood or bamboo). The hardwood cellulose is then transformed by dissolving wood pulp, which is then transformed into either viscose filament yarns or staple fibres. Since the chemical structure is based on cellulose just as in cotton, there are many similarities in the comfort properties of viscose, making it a popular choice of fibre amongst fashion labels.
The feedstock for viscose is wood, and healthy forests play a critical role in slowing down climate change because they soak up carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, only 68% of the Earth’s forests that existed before the industrial revolution remain. Tropical forests have a significant effect on biodiversity as they house more than half of the world’s terrestrial species (UN IPBES Report, 2019). Canopy Planet organisation estimates that currently 120 million trees are cut down every year for viscose production.
A best practice cellulosic fibre is one that is sourced from responsible producers and verified as low risk of being sourced from ancient and endangered forests, including certified feedstock or alternative feedstock, and one that is processed and manufactured more sustainably. This means limiting toxic chemicals, and that the manufacturing technologies aim for high recovery rates where water and chemicals are re-cycled and re-used in a closed loop process. This closed loop process is called LYOCELL fibre.
Image Credit: Sézane © FSC France
Lyocell processed fibres are produced by an increasing number of suppliers, including the Lenzing Group, which produces TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres.
Lenzing has been focusing on sourcing renewable wood feedstock for more than 20 years, and mainly relies on the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification system whenever possible. In Europe with its strict forest regulations, Close to 100 percent of the wood and pulp used by the Lenzing Group is already certified by FSC® standards, or is controlled in line with these standards.
We were excited to interview the Forest Stewardship Council, the organisation behind the well-recognised FSC logo which guarantees that the wood used in a product is derived from responsibly managed forests. For the last 25 years, the FSC certification has been helping consumers and business owners identify products that have not been manufactured at the expense of the forest, or the animals, plants and people who rely on it.
We asked FSC to help us deep dive into the topics of deforestation and sustainable forest management solutions, and to demystify the labelling process around the well-recognised logo to ensure transparency.
Why is FSC certification relevant to the fashion industry and what materials can be certified by FSC?
Businesses and consumers alike are becoming increasingly conscious of environmental issues such as climate change and deforestation. In response to this, demand for sustainable, responsible products is growing, and many consumers expect information about sustainability to be certified by an independent organisation. The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) is the world’s most trusted sustainable forest management solution, endorsed by environmental NGOs including WWF and The Woodland Trust.
Cellulose fibres are becoming more popular, and their use is expected to increase. Forest-based textiles such as rayon, viscose, modal or lyocell can be a more sustainable alternative to synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester. However, they can sometimes contribute to deforestation and habitat loss. FSC certification guarantees that materials came from forests managed with consideration for people, wildlife, and the environment.
For the fashion industry, certification is not limited to textiles. Forest-based materials used for packaging, clothing tags, catalogues, and bags can also be FSC certified, which is good for forests and business, as 88% of UK customers want on-pack information on packaging sustainability. Not only that, but non-timber forest products, such as cork and natural rubber can also be sourced with FSC certification.
Why is it so important to use wood from sustainably managed forests?
The UN estimates that around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods, including 70 million Indigenous Peoples. Using wood from FSC-certified forests helps to ensure that forest workers earn a fair wage and experience safe working conditions. FSC certification also ensures that Indigenous Peoples are consulted in forest management, and cultural rights and sacred sites are protected. Forest managers often support the community further by building schools and hospitals.
Forests play an essential role in the battle against climate change by removing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. FSC certification requires that all trees harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally. Sustainable forest management can help to maintain, or restore, the carbon sequestration function of a forest.
Does FSC certification take biodiversity into consideration?
Forests provide precious habitat for more than 80% of all terrestrial animals, plants, and insects. FSC’s mission is to ‘promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.’ To be environmentally appropriate, forest management must ensure that the forest’s biodiversity is maintained. High conservation value areas including old growth forests must also be protected.
For example, Gabon’s rainforest is home to unique wildlife, including the small and shy forest elephant. After logging in this forest, Compagnie Equatoriale des Bois (FSC®C002359) closed off the harvested area for 25 years to allow it to regenerate so that wildlife can continue to thrive. In addition, they keep the elephants’ habitat a secret to protect them from poachers, and part of their forest management includes monitoring the wildlife and looking out for signs of poaching.
What parts of the supply chain does FSC cover?
Products are checked at every stage of the supply chain, from forest to consumer, so that customers can be confident that FSC-labelled products are genuinely certified. For a product to feature the FSC label or be sold with an FSC claim, any company involved in the processing or transformation of the product must be FSC-certified. Looking at the fashion supply chain this also includes brands selling the final product.
Image credit: allbirds
Can brands and retailers use the FSC trademarks to promote their certified products on a garment on a shop floor?
To use the FSC trademarks to promote FSC-certified products, brands and retailers must hold either Chain of Custody certification, or a Promotional Trademark Licence.
Brands and retailers who buy finished, FSC-labelled products from an FSC-certified company and sell these on, unchanged, may apply for a Promotional Trademark Licence. This enables them to use the FSC trademarks to promote these products.
If the brand or retailer is involved in the processing or transformation of FSC-certified products (e.g. manufacturing, repackaging, pack-splitting,
relabelling, cutting to size or adding other forest-based materials to the product) they must hold Chain of Custody certification in order to apply an FSC label to their products and/or sell them with an FSC claim.
How can a brand ensure FSC-certified feed stock was used for the textiles, is there a licence number which can be checked?
All FSC chain of custody certificate holders are issued with both an FSC licence number (beginning with FSC-C followed by 6 digits ) and a certificate number (beginning with their certification body code e.g. NC or INT etc, followed by 6 digits). All certificate holders are included in the public database at https://info.fsc.org/, where the scope of their certification can be found. Many certificate holders sell both certified and uncertified products, so it is important to specify FSC when placing your order. For finished products, such as garments, you can also request that the certificate holder apply the FSC label. Whether labelled or not, the evidence that FSC-certified materials have been supplied is provided by the invoice you receive for them. This invoice should clearly indicate which items are FSC certified, the FSC claim associated with them and include the supplier’s FSC certificate number.
A free webinar explaining how to use the FSC certificate database can be found here.
What are your upcoming plans/campaigns to raise awareness about FSC?
We are currently working on a new brochure FSC in Fashion to be released in September. This is the latest in a series of brochures for different sectors, following on from FSC in Print, FSC Packaging and FSC for Furniture. It will bring together advice and information for those working in the fashion industry or specifying FSC-certified textiles. To ensure you receive this brochure upon release, and to keep up with the latest developments from FSC UK, sign up to our monthly Forest Matters newsletter here.
To find out more about the Forest Stewardship Council, visit their website https://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk
