As an accredited certification body, the Rainforest Alliance has been conducting audits according to FSC’s rigorous forest management standards for nearly two decades. To our knowledge, this is the first time that any FSC accredited certification body has been subject of a legal action by an FSC certificate holder.
As part of its lawsuit, Resolute obtained an injunction against any communication of the final audit report until after the trial of Resolute’s claims.
The FSC certification system is built around a fair and transparent dispute resolution system aimed at attaining relevant, targeted, and applicable resolutions without legal proceedings. FSC Dispute Resolution is the system for managing complaints between certification bodies and certificate holders, which includes third party review, mediation and appeals procedures, designed to ensure replicable and robust certification decisions. FSC Dispute Resolution is the most applicable and comprehensive mechanism for resolving complaints that arise in the FSC certification system.
FSC’s primary aim is to ensure that the implementation of its certification system results in environmental, social and economic benefits. The overall integrity of FSC certification is paramount to ensure the responsible management of our forests.
For more information contact:
Monika Patel
Director of Programs and Communications
FSC Canada
Toronto, Canada
m.patel@ca.fsc.org
www.ca.fsc.org
Karen Bennett Van der Westhuizen
Communications Director
FSC International
Bonn, Germany
k.bennett@fsc.org
www.fsc.org