Why is this happening?

FSC is a multi-stakeholder scheme, which is actually the value that companies are buying from the scheme. The argy bargy amongst groups that can have common but differing focusses, happens within the FSC system. The social, economic and environmental chambers of membership come together and in a UN-like process every few years in a General Assembly, set the direction of FSC and the standards, driving the environmental, social and economic performance, unashamedly ratcheting it up over time. This is especially important considering that more than 28 jurisdictions are currently in the process of implementing modern slavery or other labour rights legislation to directly reflect the requirements of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

On a wider scale, we all know that we need to implement the SDGs. FSC is helping companies, governments and consumers around the world work towards 40 targets under 14 out of the 18 SDG’s.  As a result, it is not just the source of the forest product supply that matters, but as with the OHS requirements that have been in place for some time, it is also the way in which the product was made that is now assessed by the FSC System.

FSC is single headedly also implementing the Core Labour Requirements of the International Labour Organisation conventions, even where countries have not decided to implement them in their local laws. This is great news for companies, but it will help them to demonstrate compliance with social issues, that listed companies, retailers, developers and the like have no choice but to report on. This is a good pointer for anyone in sales to appreciate too – when talking to customers.

So, this is a value-add, but just needs a few steps to be taken as the Chain of Custody requirements are the same in every corner of the world.

Is this also in place for PEFC?

The answer to this is not yet. There is a divergence of the Chain of Custody requirements of FSC and PEFC on this issue. There are social requirements in the PEFC Chain of Custody Standard, but even the newly released standard doesn’t go as far as to map to the current or soon to be implemented Modern Slavery requirements across the world.

We do know however that PEFC will need to consider moving to this at some point in the future, depending on what its own stakeholder base requires.

What will you need to prepare for to meet these new FSC Social Requirements?

If you are in Australia or in New Zealand, really the local laws have largely implemented the ILO requirements. So, if you comply with the law, there isn’t so much work for the new Chain of Custody Standard FSC STD – 40-004 v 3-1 to do.

However, there are a couple of key areas that our clients get caught out and they are:

1. Knowing the requirements to employ people under 18 in your State or Territory of operation (or multiple if you cross country or Australian borders); and
2. Ensuring that those that are employed under 18 in heavy work are engaged through a registered apprenticeship or traineeship which advances education.

We can see why these requirements have been put in place. In less developed economies, child labour is used, and education is forfeited as a result where there is little or no regulation. As the standard works around the world in the same way, this is a way to actually create a level playing field across countries with different laws and development levels – good news for Australian and NZ producers.

Free access to pre-completed templates, answers to curly questions and audit preparation for Hikari subscribers

Hikari Solutions announces its new service – subscribe to FSC and PEFC or both for one low price

• free and unlimited questions to our team; and
• free and unlimited updates when something changes, without ever having to pay for anyone to update your procedures; and
• free and unlimited templates for use by your company; and
• free over the phone and Zoom audit preparation service (max 2 hours per annum)
• discounted annual FSC and PEFC training to send your team to and demonstrate conformance with the Standards.

This service is billed via recurring invoice $49 per month. You can cancel at any time with 1 month’s notice.

If you’re a subscriber, get in touch at any time about anything you need. If you want to subscribe contact us at [email protected].

Templates for Social Changes

Prepare for your coming audit quickly and easily. The information in the template is useful to you whether or not you use the Hikari standard procedures.

Australian template is here: https://hikarisolutions.com.au/product/cc-021-aus/

NZ template is here: https://hikarisolutions.com.au/product/cc-021-nz/

Want to know what is in them or how to amend your procedures? Have a look at our Youtube video for some quick instructions. Here you can also see what’s in there.

Need training? Express your interest

We are always available to provide training on demand. We can reduce the cost of training your workforce by combining you with non-competitor clients who also need to be trained. This way you can also learn from one another’s questions.

Alternatively, if you want bespoke training for your company, just get in touch.