Earlier
FSC is currently updating its actual standards to ensure proper implementation of FSC Controlled Wood requirements during ongoing revision of Controlled Wood system as per Motion 51. Changes introduced are intended to provide clarification and additional regulations to existing Controlled Wood related standards.
A public stakeholder consultation is now launched on the following advice notes:
ADVICE-20-001-XX Controlled Wood auditor qualifications
ADVICE-40-004-XX Pre-consumer reclaimed wood compliance with timber legality
ADVICE-40-004-XX Verification of controlled input materials
ADVICE-40-005-07 Controlled Wood public summaries
ADVICE-40-005-XX Stakeholder consultation
Please provide your comments on the draft Advice Notes by using the attached comment form.
Please send your comments to Joanna Nowakowska at j.nowakowska@fsc.org.
The deadline for submitting comments is 23 July 2013.
For further information see FSC website
Update
The 4 Advice Notes related to Controlled Wood (CW) are based on the recommendations from our “Controlled Wood Technical Committee” (CWTC) which has been established to implement Motion 51 from the last General Assembly. These 4 Advice Notes address single issues in the CW system that the CWTC has identified as issues that could and should be addresses before the whole CW system has been revised.
In addition to the 4 Controlled Wood Advice Notes, there is 1 Advice Note that relates to FSC’s compliance with timber legality legislation such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), the US Lacey Act, or the Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Act.
Before submitting these Advice Notes for formal decision making, we would like to receive your comments.
ADVICE-20-001-XX CW auditor qualifications
Why is this advice needed?
The current CB accreditation standard (FSC-STD-20-001) does not clearly provide the qualification requirements for auditors evaluating controlled wood at the forest level.
What is this advice proposing?
This Advice Note expands on the list of requirements of expected auditor’s expertise and competence in order to improve the auditing quality.
ADVICE-40-004-XX verification of controlled input materials
Why is this advice needed?
The current COC standard does not provide clear requirements on how to control materials which due to a break in the chain of custody lost their previous status as certified material and would otherwise be lost to the FSC supply chain.
What is this advice proposing?
The Advice Note provides a simplified but credible approach to allow previously certified material as controlled input into the supply chain where the chain is formally broken. This measure should help minimizing the leakage of FSC material from the system.
ADVICE-40-005-07 CW public summaries
Why is this advice needed?
The existing requirements for public summaries of risk assessments and stakeholder consultations did not lead to transparent and consistent reports that meet the expected quality of our stakeholders.
What is this advice proposing?
This Advice Note specifies new requirements for public summaries, e.g. including information on who was consulted, on consultation feedback received and how comments were taken into account.
ADVICE-40-005-XX CW Stakeholder consultation
Why is this advice needed?
Like with public summaries (see above) the exiting requirements for consultation processes in the context of field audits conducted by certificate holders as part of the CW evaluation did not result in consistent processes that meet the expected quality of our stakeholders.
What is this advice proposing?
This Advice Note provides formal clarification for which Controlled Wood categories stakeholder consultation is required and how stakeholder consultation processes shall be conducted.
ADVICE-40-004-XX pre-consumer reclaimed wood compliance with timber legality
Why is this advice needed?
FSC identified the need of introducing requirements for the control of pre-consumer reclaimed wood in order to ensure FSC’s products conformance with EUTR definition of waste materials.
What is this advice proposing?
This Advice note requires that pre-consumer reclaimed wood shall comply with FSC Controlled Wood requirements. Due to existing safeguards, this advice only applies to certificate holders located in countries without applicable timber legality legislation
We hope these explanations are helpful in supporting your review of the circulated documentation. If you have any more question related to this consultation, please send them to our CW Manager j.nowakowska@fsc.org.
