Updated Principles & Criteria: Changes for Standard Developers and certificate holders

An updated version of the International Generic Indicators (IGI) (FSC-STD-60-004) aligned with the recently published FSC Principles and Criteria V5-3 and including new IGI for highly hazardous pesticides is published. The related addendum to the Pesticides Policy is available now too. 

On 15 March 2023, FSC published an updated version of FSC Principles and Criteria (P&C) addressing Motion 37/2021: Required changes to the FSC Principles and Criteria to implement the Policy to Address Conversion, and Motion 40a/2021: Review the applicability of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) (see more information here). FSC has now updated the IGI to align with the updates in P&C V5-3.  

With these updates to the IGI, the implementation of the Policy to Address Conversion and a path to enable the implementation of FSC Remedy Framework is operationalized in Forest Stewardship Standards. FSC is also strengthening the applicability of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).  

This version (2-1) also incorporates the IGI for the use of highly hazardous pesticides approved by the Board of Directors in March 2022 and shared with standard developers at that time (see more about this process here). In connection to these IGI, an addendum to the Pesticides Policy (FSC-POL-30-001b) to support standard developers to determine personal protective equipment needs for the use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) has been published in the Document Centre here. The updated version of the IGI can be accessed here.  

In addition, an Advice Note will be published next month. This advice note will apply to certificate holders or entities holding or applying for forest management certification, and will enforce the requirements introduced by the Policy to Address Conversion and Motion 37/2021, that certificate holders will need to conform with from 1 July 2023.