FSC remains deeply concerned about Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with all victims of this violence. With full commitment to FSC’s mission and standards, and after a thorough analysis of the potential impact of withdrawal of FSC certification, the FSC International Board of Directors has agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries.
All certificates in Belarus will have to be terminated as a result of the decision by Assurance Services International (ASI) to exclude the country from the scope of all certification bodies due to the inability to credibly assess conformance with certain FSC social requirements based on International Labour Organization (ILO).
Read the full statement here.
FSC has issued new updates to its normative framework related to FSC certificates from Russia and Belarus to address waiving Annual Administration fees and verification of material sold but not dispatched prior to suspension. An FAQs document is also available.