What is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. Since its foundation in 1994, FSC has grown to become the world’s most respected and widespread forest certification system.

FSC's certification system enables businesses and consumers to choose wood, paper and other forest products that are made with resources that support responsible forestry.

To use FSC Certification labels and messaging on products and websites, businesses must work closely with the FSC team to ensure the chain of custody is maintained for all products and resources. 

This means that the business complies with all mandatory requirements to ensure their products and resources are produced or collected sustainably.

As an FSC affiliated organisation, NEON eCommerce Packaging is committed to maintaining the values and guidelines set by FSC. This includes:

• Illegal logging or the trade in illegal wood or forest products;
• Violation of traditional and human rights in forestry operations;
• Destruction of high conservation values in forestry operations;
• Significant conversion of forests to plantations or non-forest use;
• Introduction of genetically modified organisms in forestry operations;
• Violation of any of the ILO Core Conventions as defined in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work;
• Prohibition on the use of child and all forms of forced labour;
• Ensuring our workplace is free from all forms of discrimination.

If you want to learn more, please downlod our Self-Declaration Committing to FSC Values and FSC Core Labour Requirements Policy Statements.

On the site, you will see products displaying the FSC logo. These products, and the relevant supply chains, have been assessed and determined to comply with FSC requirements. 

More FSC certified products are coming soon!

What is Greenwashing

Greenwashing is when packaging, advertising, and other company messaging indicates that packaging or company practices are eco-friendly, when in fact they are not. Misleading or incorrect messaging is becoming more common as environmental awareness campaigns become more widespread.

How Can FSC Help?

To make informed choices, you should look for the FSC label when buying forest-based products. To be FSC Certified, the business must comply with rigorous global standards for sustainable forest management. Supporting FSC certified products aids in protecting ecosystems, endangered species, and combating illegal logging, with a list of certified retailers available for eco-conscious shoppers in Australia and New Zealand.

What Can You Do?

It might seem impossible to avoid greenwashed companies and products, so here are a few steps you can take:

• Research the claims being made. Do some research online and see if the claims are accurate.
• Review sustainability reports. Sometimes companies make their sustainability reports available for public review.
• Compare company practices to industry standards
• Assess the transparancy of the company. How open are they about their sustainable practices?
• Look for the FSC Label when purchasing forest-based products.