FSC decides to maintain conditional association with Samling April 25, 2025 Category : Integrity and Disputes FSC has decided to maintain association with Samling Global Limited, provided they fulfil conditions to verify and address potential environmental and social harms caused in their forest operations. This decision is based on the recommendation of a decision panel of independent experts who assessed available evidence related to the Policy for Association (PfA) case against Samling. The decision panel concluded that illegal logging and destruction of high conservation values (HCVs) occurred within a national park adjacent to one of Samling’s concessions in Sarawak, Malaysia. The panel also highlighted the risk of further violations that may have occurred in Samling managed forest areas in the past. At a recent board meeting, FSC International’s Board of Directors accepted the decision panel’s recommendations. Evidence analysed by the decision panel Samling self-terminated its FSC chain of custody certification in April 2024, which had implications on the handling of the PfA case. Hence, FSC commissioned an independent Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of selected, relevant forest concessions managed by Samling in Sarawak and initiated a direct decision process based on the findings. Due to the limitations of using GIS to analyse social conflicts, it was not possible to cover the full breadth of allegations, especially those related to the violation of traditional and human rights. With regards to the specific HCVs impacted by Samling’s activities, the GIS analysis could not confirm the full extent of the complainant’s allegations. However, the GIS analysis did indicate the possibility of further risks of HCV destruction and conversion. Therefore, the decision panel emphasized the need to address these allegations and reflected this in the conditions. They also acknowledged that the scale of HCV destruction could potentially be greater than that confirmed in the GIS analysis. Conditions for maintaining association Based on the decision panel’s recommendations, FSC set the completion of a verified remedy process as a condition to maintain association with Samling. This provides an incentive for remedy, compared to disassociating from Samling Global Limited and expelling its entire corporate group from the FSC system. Samling is required to implement FSC's Remedy Framework (FSC-PRO-01-007) to verify and address the potential social and environmental harms caused in its forestry operations since becoming FSC-certified in 2009. Samling’s scope of remedy will include the alleged violations identified in the original PfA complaint submitted to FSC. This decision expands the scope of the FSC Remedy Framework beyond the current use cases, which include disassociated organizations and organizations with conversion that occurred between 1994 and 2020 who want to become eligible for FSC certification. In order to maintain association with FSC, Samling will have to make meaningful compensation for an area in the Usun Apau national park where clear and convincing evidence of illegal logging and HCV destruction have been found. In response, Samling has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with FSC on the panel’s findings. Case background In May 2023, FSC launched a PfA case against Samling based on a complaint submitted by a coalition of organizations including SAVE Rivers, Gerenai Community Rights Action Committee (GCRAC), KERUAN Organisation, The Borneo Project, and Bruno Manser Fund. The complaint alleged potential violations of FSC’s Policy for Association (PfA) in Samling’s forest concessions in Sarawak specifically related to: 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. FSC processed the case according to FSC’s procedure for Processing FSC Policy for Association Complaints (FSC-PRO-01-009). Hence, FSC initially explored the possibility of resolving the dispute using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods. This was not accepted by the complainants. Consequently, Samling self-terminated its FSC chain of custody certificates in April 2024 and FSC initiated a direct decision process. For more information about the PfA case against Samling, visit the case page here.