The phase out was planned to occur whilst the standard was being revised, with the revised version (FSC-STD-40-005 V3-0) due to be effective from 1 January 2016. However this timing has changed and the revised version is now not scheduled for approval until November 2015.
The complex changes introduced in the revised standard will require sufficient time for stakeholders to adapt to before it becomes effective. New normative requirements are needed to enforce the phase out of company risk assessments, which will be captured in a new, normative FSC Advice Note.
FSC International has scheduled two webinars on 26 May 2015 to offer more information about the consultation and the revised Controlled Wood system, and to answer questions from stakeholders. Follow the link to register.
The webpage for the stakeholder consultation contains the text of the proposed advice note, and a form for submitting comments. These should be submitted to Darren Brown at d.brown@fsc.org by 18 June 2015.
All feedback received will be used to finalize the normative requirements before they are formally approved by the FSC Board of Directors in August 2015. At the time of approval, the finalized requirements will be published, as will a synopsis that summarizes the results of the stakeholder consultation and how the feedback received was used to finalize the requirements. The approved requirements will be made effective 1 January 2016.