Consolidating Gains, Strengthening Leadership - Forest Stewardship Council Annual Report 2012

Oct 3, 2026

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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Annual Report 2012 presents the organization’s vision, mission, and governance structure, emphasizing a democratically governed, multi-stakeholder model. The report highlights 2012 achievements such as approval of revised Principles and Criteria and progress through adaptation and innovation. It outlines market growth for FSC-certified products, outreach efforts to raise awareness of responsible forestry, and the standards’ role in driving certification growth and impact. It also details priorities for strengthening certification quality, resolving disputes, and documenting social and environmental impacts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages58

Reading Time2 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Message from the Director General

Message from the Chairman

Introduction: A year of expansion and consolidation

2012: The Year in Numbers

Upgrading FSC standards through adaptation and innovation

Linking commitment with the FSC Network

FSC standards in practice: The growth and impact of certification

Catalyzing markets: Driving demand for FSC certified products

Outreach: Raising awareness of responsible forestry

Financial Information

FSC Board of Directors

Consolidating Gains, Strengthening Leadership Forest Stewardship Council® Annual Report 2012 12 FSC® International Center Consolidating Gains, Strengthening Leadership Forest Stewardship Council® Annual Report 2012 Our Vision The world’s forests meet the social, ecological and economic rights and needs of the present generation without compromising those of future generations. Our Mission The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Our Governance Structure FSC is an international membership organization. It is democratically governed by its members, who are both individuals and organizations, and its highest decision-making body is the General Assembly. The General Assembly is made up of environmental, social and economic chambers, each divided into Northern and Southern subchambers. To ensure balanced representation of different interests, every member joins a chamber, and each chamber holds an equal number of votes in the General Assembly, equally divided between North and South. An Executive Director runs FSC on a day-today basis, supported by the staff of the FSC International Center, and by an elected Board of Directors, one from each sub-chamber of the General Assembly. 5 Table of Contents Message from the Director General............................ 6 Message from the Chairman ....................................... 8 Introduction: A year of expansion and consolidation ..................................................... 10 2012: The Year in Numbers ..................................... 12 Upgrading FSC standards through adaptation and innovation ......................................... 14 Linking commitment with the FSC Network ...............26 FSC standards in practice: The growth and impact of certification .................. 30 Catalyzing markets: Driving demand for FSC certified products...........38 Outreach: Raising awareness of responsible forestry ...........48 Financial Information .................................................. 54 FSC Board of Directors ............................................ 56 6 Message from the Director General Forest Stewardship Council® | Annual Report 2012 7 When a group of visionary people established FSCin 1994, after years of preparation and discussion, I don’t think many people outside their immediate circle had much faith in their project. But today, almost 20 years later, it is clear that our founders had in fact created a recipe for unprecedented success: the democratic, multi-stakeholder model they invented was a stroke of genius. FSC was established as an organization in which decision-making powers were given equally to members representing social, environmental and economic interests in forest management. Thanks to this unique structure, FSC is supported by leading environmental and social actors all over the world, giving it the credibility to attract important market actors. Today, we have more than 170 million hectares certified under FSC standards, and around 25,000 companies in 120 countries hold FSC certificates. Given these impressive results, I was both honored and humbled when, in October 2012, I was given the opportunity to serve FSC’s members and supporters to achieve our mission. I took over from Andre de Freitas, who led the organization through a period of unprecedented growth. Without his skillful efforts, together with the professionalism of FSC’s international staff and our worldwide network of FSC partners, we wouldn’t have the opportunities to achieve significant results for the world’s forests that we have today. A key highlight of 2012 was the approval of the revised Principles and Criteria, which are now being followed up by the International Generic Indicators. We also saw continued market growth both in developed countries and in important emerging econ

FAQs

What is FSC’s governance structure described in the report?

FSC is an international membership organization democratically governed by its members, with the General Assembly as the highest decision-making body. It includes environmental, social, and economic chambers, each divided into Northern and Southern subchambers with balanced voting representation.

What major standard-related milestone does the report mention for 2012?

The report highlights the approval of revised Principles and Criteria, followed up by the International Generic Indicators. It also notes continued market growth in both developed countries and emerging economies such as Brazil and China.

What priorities does the report set for improving FSC certification?

The report calls for strengthening certification quality through clear national forest management standards, resolving disputes and complaints promptly, and improving documentation of the social and environmental impacts. It also identifies remaining challenges in natural forests in the Tropics and in reaching local communities and smallholder forest owners.

Oct 3, 2026

Upload by Mimi