The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is seriously concerned about allegations regarding bamboo toilet paper containing other timber fibre. The allegations made through an investigative media channel, allude to FSC-labelled toilet rolls. Source: Timberbiz
In line with FSC’s process, these allegations were further investigated by Assurance Services International (ASI). The investigation included 14 certificate holders belonging to the supply chains of the brands identified by Which? – Bazoo, Naked Sprout, and Bumboo.
ASI traced the supply chains of these companies back to the source and obtained their transaction records to check the certified timber traded between them. As a result of this investigation, one of the suppliers was suspended.
The investigation also revealed a few cases of trademark misuse. While the label on the product communicated that it contains 100% bamboo from FSC-certified forests, it was actually mixed with Eucalyptus FSC Mix pulp.
The main difference between FSC 100% and FSC Mix labels is:
- FSC 100% means that only material from FSC-certified forests have been used in the product.
- FSC Mix means that the product is made of material from well-managed, FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources.
FSC takes supply chain integrity violations, seriously and carries out investigations using various tools in its integrity toolkit, as well as through additional verification involving certification bodies and ASI. If additional investigations and collected evidence prove that the violations were deliberate, wrongdoers are excluded from the FSC system.
Businesses, consumers, and many organizations worldwide depend on the integrity of the FSC label. Fraudulent claims and non-certified materials found in FSC-certified supply chains therefore represent a breach of trust that can significantly overshadow the positive achievements of conforming organizations. FSC leads initiatives around the globe to identify, prevent and eliminate false claims across certified supply chains.
A false claim is when a certificate holder deliberately or unintentionally sells a product as ‘FSC certified’ when it is not the case.
Any false claim related to FSC can lead to immediate suspension or termination of the certificate for FSC-certified companies. FSC may decide to block such companies from the certification system, which includes the revocation or suspension of their trademark license agreements. A blocked company cannot seek recertification until the period of blockage is completed.
