Statement on FSC-Certified Charcoal

FSC is aware of recent media reports concerning certified charcoal from Namibia. We take these reports seriously and recognise the important role that media scrutiny plays in strengthening accountability across supply chains. 

The FSC label on a charcoal product means that the forest-based material has been independently evaluated through the FSC certification system, and that companies handling the material are subject to FSC’s chain-of-custody requirements. Where concerns are raised about whether FSC requirements are being met by certified companies, they are examined through our established processes and action is taken as necessary.

The reports touched on certain topics related to FSC-certified charcoal, including questions about the material and the certification process. 

Recent Investigations into the Charcoal Supply Chain

FSC has taken action over a number of years to investigate and address concerns about the integrity of charcoal supply chains, working with Assurance Services International (ASI). 

Investigations beginning in 2017 focused on certified companies producing and supplying charcoal. These included transaction verification and forensic tests. 

In 2018, FSC cancelled 49 certificates following wood anatomy testing that identified products containing species other than those claimed. Of the 6,000 tests conducted that year, 900 mismatches in volume data and 232 traditional wood anatomy tests came back with such results, and efforts were subsequently made to remove the non-conforming products from the market.

Follow-up testing in 2019 showed a substantial reduction in irregular results. Of more than 5,000 tests conducted, 38 results required further examination, and all were subsequently resolved. The full report is available here.

A fourth transaction verification review, concluded in 2023, further strengthened these efforts. More information on its findings can be found here.

FSC has continued to develop its risk-based integrity controls in response to these and other findings. This includes enhancements to FSC Check, FSC’s risk-based screening tool for organisations seeking to join or re-join the system. Other steps include additional risk-based evaluation activities for certification bodies where FSC identifies a high integrity risk, as well as making information about whether companies trade in FSC products publicly available here. 

Worker Rights and Safety 

FSC standards are there to ensure that responsible forest management also means responsible treatment of the people who work in and depend on forests. Worker health, safety and rights are embedded in the FSC standard and subject to the same independent oversight as other aspects of forest management.

The National Forest Stewardship Standard for Namibia, effective since 2020, articulates clear and specific indicators to ensure worker health and safety, including wage and housing requirements, protective equipment and training, and environmental and safety risk assessments. These indicators provide the basis for assessing whether requirements are being met in certified forest operations within the scope of the standard. 

FSC’s Principles and Criteria also address the rights of workers, customary communities and Indigenous Peoples. Certificate holders are required to respect workers’ rights protected under the International Labour Organization (ILO) Core Conventions, including protections against child and forced labour and employment discrimination, as well as the rights to occupational health and safety and collective bargaining. Where non-conformities with these requirements are identified, certificate holders must take corrective action. Serious or unresolved violations can result in suspension or termination of certification.

FSC’s Chain of Custody certification also incorporates Core Labour Requirements, which are based on the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Commitment to forests and people

When forests are FSC-certified, their managers commit to the social and economic well-being of workers and local communities, while the integrity of certified material is maintained through FSC’s chain-of-custody requirements. There are established channels through which anyone inside or outside the system can raise concerns about certified operations or the integrity of certified supply chains. 

FSC was built on the principle that responsible forest management must keep improving. Dialogue, oversight and action are essential to that work. We remain committed to that principle and will continue to ensure that FSC certification delivers on its promise to forests and people.