FSC Updates published to clarify measures for organizations in Russia and Belarus

FSC issued a series of normative instruments to implement measures related to FSC certificates in Russia and Belarus to disable sourcing material from these countries. To further support measures issued and queries around them, FSC has published two additional Advice Notes and the corresponding derogation as follows:

ADVICE-20-011-14 Verification audits for material sold but not dispatched prior to suspension

In general, products which have not yet left an organization’s chain of custody system at the time the certificate is invalidated have lost their certified status. This Advice Note provides for the option of certificate holders prior to their suspension to undergo an extraordinary audit by which the certified and controlled product stock for delivery and related sales invoices can be inventoried. This will allow chain of custody certified buyers outside Russia, upon issuance of relevant verification statements by the certification body, to use relevant material as certified or controlled input in case that the dispatch of relevant invoiced stock is not possible before the suspension date.

FSC-DER-2022-002 Use of material purchased but not dispatched from Russia before suspension of supplier

This derogation complements the above Advice Note. It enables certificate holders outside of Russia that have purchased material with FSC claims from certificate holders in Russia before the supplier’s suspension to use relevant material as eligible according to the invoice claim despite its dispatch only after the supplier’s suspension. The prerequisite for doing so is that the supplier’s certification body must have provided a statement confirming that the material has been duly produced before the suspension.

ADVICE-20-005-01 Waiving of AAF for certificates in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

As the suspension is not grounded in the actual performance of the individual certificate holders but due to matters beyond their control, FSC decided to waive the Annual Administration Fee (AAF) for suspended certificates in Russia from Q2/2022 onward. For Belarus, ASI’s decision to reduce the geographic scope of certification bodies in combination with FSC-ADV-20-001-12 make it necessary to terminate all certificates in the country by 8 April 2022. In order to limit the financial risk for certification bodies operating in Belarus, FSC decided to waive the AAF for Q2/2022.

FSC has further decided to also waive the AAF for all certificates in Ukraine as of Q2/2022, regardless of their certification status.
https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/updates-published-to-clarify-measures-for-organizations-in-russia-and-belarus

Related Posts

Glatfelter Enters Into Consent Decree to Resolve Fox River Environmental Liability

Glatfelter announced that it has entered into a consent decree with the United States Government, the State of Wisconsin, and Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, under which Glatfelter expects to fully resolve its liability for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay environmental remediation and related Superfund litigation. The consent decree is subject to approval by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The Lower Fox River and Green Bay site involves the remediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the bed of the river, and has been the source of complex, multi-party litigation since 2008. Under the terms of the settlement, Glatfelter agrees to pay to the United States $20.5 million to resolve all claims for past government cleanup, enforcement, and oversight costs and natural resources damages. Glatfelter will also be responsible for payment of future oversight costs. In addition, Glatfelter will be primarily responsible to perform the long-term monitoring and maintenance work in certain portions of the site, with Georgia-Pacific performing that work in other portions of the site. Click read more below for additional detail.

SEE Invests in Renewable Energy

Sealed Air has invested $9 million in a solar farm that is now powering its Madera, California manufacturing facility. The solar panels, which sit on 11 acres of company-owned land adjacent to the facility, are expected to help reduce energy spend at this site by $1 million annually. The 265,000 square foot plant, which manufactures BUBBLE WRAP® brand original cushioning, SEALED AIR® brand Korrvu® retention and suspension packaging, mailers, and other solutions, will have 98% of its electricity powered by the solar field. Over the course of the first year, the solar project will help avoid 4,982 metric tons of carbon dioxide and 72,172 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 15 years, which is equivalent to: *Greenhouse gas emissions from more than 15,000 passenger vehicles driven for one year *The carbon dioxide emission from annual electricity use for more than 14,000 homes *Carbon sequestered by nearly 1,200,000 tree seedlings grown over the course of a decade

Hungarian, Italian and UK systems open for public consultation

This is the first time Hungary has submitted its national forest certification system to PEFC for endorsement, following their acceptance as a PEFC National member earlier this year in January. Hungary is one of the few remaining European countries with a significant share of private forest owners that is yet to have an endorsed national forest certification system. The successful endorsement of the Hungarian forest certification system will enable the country’s forest owners, including the many small- and family forest owners, gain international recognition through PEFC certification. For Italy and the UK, this is the third and fourth time, respectively, that the countries have applied for endorsement by PEFC.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search