The Wonderful World of Forest Certification
The FSC set stringent standards for forestry based on three criteria: environmental, social and economic (sound familiar?). From a product standpoint, it started first with boards and lumber, but it didn’t take long for the paper industry to see the benefits of these standards as well.
Many popular brands of paper in general use today—recycled, virgin and mixed, in both commodity and finer grades—are FSC-certified. This, however, has not always been the case.
Vic Nathan Barkin has more than 35 years of experience in the printing, paper and wood products industries and currently owns a consulting practice specializing in business development, workflow, and technology implementation, focusing on “Green Procurement and Production” practices. Vic is a QMS Lead Auditor certified to ISO 9001:2008 standards, is a consultant for the Rainforest Alliance as an FSC Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood senior auditor, is an FSC, SFI and PEFC lead auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers and SGS North America, and has engaged in more than 700 site assessments and audits.
