Our recognised environmental and sustainability profile

Forests have enormous importance for both people, nature and the climate. We must protect forests so that future generations can benefit from them, just as we do today. FSC® is important as one of the tools to ensure this. Forests generate economy and income through the sale of timber.

They create local jobs and they give us all experiences. At the same time, forests store CO2 and are home to a very large part of the world's wildlife and biodiversity, as well as the lifeblood of the people who live in and around forests. In fact, more than 25% of the world's population, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, relies on forests for survival.

As a certification scheme for responsible forest management, FSC® is a tool to ensure that current and future generations can benefit from the many functions of the forest. In addition, FSC® actively contributes to solving some of the challenges that forests face in terms of biodiversity, social conditions, deforestation and other challenges such as global warming and CO².

FSC® sets a number of specific demands in forests that have a great impact on our climate, for people, communities, wildlife, nature and future generations.

The first principle of the FSC® Forest Certification Code is that FSC® certified forest properties must comply with all applicable local and international laws and regulations. This means, among other things, that wood must be legally felled and statutory duties and taxes must be paid, and that the wood must be sold on normal market conditions.

One of the basic requirements for a forest property to be FSC® certified is that the forest owner does not cut more wood than the forest can reproduce, whether naturally and/or through reforestation.

In other words, that the forest cover is preserved and deforestation does not occur.

In FSC-certified forests, the forest owner must protect the natural values.

For example:

• Rare and endangered species and their habitats.
• Natural streams and wetlands (streams, lakes and rivers, etc.)
• Areas with high conservation values (high biodiversity, intact forest landscapes, drinking water and groundwater, etc.)

Other considerations of biodiversity must also be taken into account. For example, in a Danish FSC® forest, tree tops, stumps and trees must be left to decay and die, parts of the forest must be left untouched, and special attention must be paid to sensitive animal species.

The FSC® Forest Owner must identify and respect the legal and vested rights of Indigenous peoples to possess, use and manage land, territories and resources affected by operating activities.

In an FSC® -certified forest, it is a requirement that the workers are educated and receive a decent salary and have proper working conditions - for example in relation to health and safety. In addition, fundamental labour rights based on the ILO Conventions must be respected. This involves banning child labour, forced labour and discrimination, and giving workers the right to collective bargaining and freedom of association.

FSC® places a number of requirements on certified forest owners to promote gender equality. For example, the FSC requires that women and men have access to the same jobs on the same terms, are paid the same salary for the same work, and women are encouraged to participate actively in all types of work. In addition, the FSC requires systems in place that promote equality and prevent discrimination.

In addition to being FSC® certified, forest owners can use FSC® to demonstrate that they are making an extra effort to protect specific ecosystem services such as water and biodiversity in their forest, and attract investors who would like to sponsor this.

FSC® requires the forest owner to ensure a financially responsible forest property, including by the fact that in addition to the sale of quality wood, hunting rentals and other goods can be offered, and forest products that can generate income. But also by the fact that the cutting stone does not exceed the growth of the forest.

FSC® certified forest owners are not allowed to use pesticides prohibited by the FSC® pesticide policy for pest control and must generally avoid pesticides. The FSC® pesticide policy is more stringent than regular legislation in this area.

The FSC requires areas of archaeological and historical significance such as ancient monuments to be protected. This also applies to areas of important cultural, ecological, economic or religious significance to local communities, and indigenous peoples. Holy places and cemeteries, for example.