New headquarters, new era for FSC in Bonn - September 13th, 2004

Bonn, Germany. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) today officially opened its new International Centre in Bonn Germany. The building was opened by the German Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Jürgen Trittin, in the presence of the Mayor of the City of Bonn, Bärbel Dieckmann.

The building opening came at the end of a three-day conference to mark the FSCâ??s first 10 years of operation. â??We have started a new era after moving our International Centre from Oaxaca, Mexico to Bonn. We appreciate the role governments, concerned about environmental and social issues, can play in promoting FSC through their purchase policies,â?? said David Nahwegahbow, Chair of the FSC Board of Directors who spoke on behalf of FSC at the ceremony.

â??In this regard, we believe the German Government has played a leading role in supporting FSC with the establishment of the International Centre and through its stated buying preferences. We would encourage all responsible buyers of forest products to follow this lead and strengthen their commitment to keeping wood that doesnâ??t meet FSCâ??s Principles and Criteria for responsible forest management out of their purchase policies.â?? Said Nahwegahbow.

The weekend conference discussed the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead as FSC enters its second decade. FSCâ??s stakeholders talked about strategies and setting goals and targets beyond establishing FSC as a viable organisation. They stressed the importance of making progress with forest certification in the endangered tropic forests of the economic south and about growing the market share for FSC certified products.

Minister Jürgen Trittin said: â??The relevance of forests, especially the big primary forests, for climate, for water resources and biodiversity are well known. Exploitation and illegal logging have to stop. Certification to FSC Principles and Criteria has central relevance for the protection of forests. We appeals to consumers when buying wood products to look for the FSC logo.â??

At the ceremony, Monika Wulf-Mathies, Managing Director, Corporate Public Policy and Sustainability for Deutsche Post, handed over 10, 000 of the postal serviceâ??s new line of FSC certified pre-paid envelopes to the Oro Verde organization that works to protect tropical forests. Deutsche Post made strong commitments to responsible paper purchasing in its corporate policies. The envelopes are part of a consignment of 80 million FSC certified envelopes being sold through Deutsche Post outlets, and are an excellent and encouraging start to implementing these policies.

Herman Graf Hatzfeldt, Chair of FSC Germany, said there was a growing number of FSC certified products on the German market. He presented the Minister with writing paper, pencils and envelopes as part of a sample pack of FSC products.

Today it is estimated that globally there are 20,000 FSC certified product lines with an annual turnover of between $3 and $5 billion dollars available to consumers. A recent survey in the Netherlands found that FSC wood now holds more than 10% of the national timber market. A target for the next five to ten years is to have a market share of at least 10 percent globally.

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