FSC certification in danger of disappearing in Estonia

By Merilin Pärli
ERR
March 17, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

ESTONIA — One of the two main quality labels in Estonia may soon disappear if the certifying body does not abandon additional requirements that the largest wood owner in Estonia, RMK, does not intend to agree with on principle. Most Estonian wood industry companies use the required FSC certificate for export markets. …Estonia has been using a temporary FSC standard because there has been no agreement on the wording of a local standard since 2016. Now, Estonia is close to agreeing on the wording for a local standard, while the proposed solution has been deemed unacceptable by the State Forest Management Center (RMK) because it includes a point about considering indigenous peoples. In Estonia, the Setos and Võros have declared themselves indigenous peoples. “The official position of the Republic of Estonia is that there are no indigenous peoples in Estonia in the terms of the UNDRIP. …Manufacturers could start using the competing PEFC certificate instead.

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