The FSC’s "disassociation" of Danzer followed clashes between local people and the authorities in Yaliska in the DRC where its subsidiary SIFORCO, since sold, managed the forest concession. A subsequent FSC Controlled Wood certification report from SGS gave the concession a clean bill of health, but an FSC Complaints Panel decided the company had failed in its conflict resolution obligations and "disassociated it".
This complete withdrawal of Danzer’s right to supply FSC-certified timber from all sources, including its fully certified 1 million ha IFO concession in Congo Brazzaville, has been criticised as excessive, given no evidence was produced to indicate wider systemic problems.
It is feared the decision could now deter others from getting certified, given Danzer’s status as a sustainable sourcing pioneer.
"The FSC needs to be robust in defence of its standards, as the last thing any of us need is for the credibility of their certification scheme to be doubted," said Timbmet head of environment Chris Cox.
"Unfortunately in this case the casualty is a company that agrees with this and is ostensibly one of the FSC’s leading supporters. It may be that FSC has overreacted in the face of an unfortunate confluence of circumstances in the DRC, a notoriously difficult place to operate."
James Latham plc chairman Peter Latham wrote to the FSC to express concern over its action.
"It has the potential to set back certification years by making concession holders and consumers more cautious about the value of an independent certification when disassociation can trump it," he said.
"We can pat ourselves on the back over getting temperate forests certified, but we all know the real target must be tropical regions, and particularly Africa. All stakeholders should be working together to make it happen and Danzer is widely regarded in the industry as one of the good guys in this. For it to be treated this way must raise doubts about the audit process generally, both in the industry and outside."
He added that hitting the IFO mill, "which was demonstrating that you can source timber from well-managed forests in Africa", would also have an adverse impact on the market.
The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) also wrote to the FSC, voicing its disappointment at the handling of the case.
"Danzer has not been found guilty of wrongdoing, yet it has had its name sullied," said TTF chief executive John White.
"This is damaging for Danzer, for the timber trade and, ultimately, for certification and FSC itself. The timber industry is a great supporter of FSC but on this occasion we think they have got it wrong."
An FSC spokesperson said its complaints panel had taken into account evidence beyond SGS’s audit of SIFORCO and that under its Policy of Association, a certified company could be disassociated where "found to be directly or indirectly involved in relevant unacceptable activities".
