Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

In 1994, professional foresters, conservationists, scientists, landowners, the forest products industry, and other stakeholders developed the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program. The Sustainable Forestry Board  (SFB), a non-profit organization, has management oversight over the SFI program. The SFB is comprised of 15 members that represent the environmental, economic, and social community. The SFB makes decisions on the SFI Standard and verification procedures, program quality control, the SFI label and chain of custody programs and dispute resolutions. In addition to the SFB, an 18-member independent External Review Panel serves in an advisory role to the SFB. This review panel works to ensure the programs scientific and technical accuracy (www.abouterp.org) (FCRC 2005).

The SFI Standard (SFIS) is based on nine principles addressing the cultural, legal, economic, and environmental issues surrounding sustainable forestry. A commitment  to continuously improve sustainable forest management systems is also part of the SFIS. Sustainable forest management, public reporting, procurement of wood and fiber, mitigating illegal logging, and continuous improvement are addressed by the 13 objectives of the SFIS. Third party auditing is required for certification processes to ensure conformance with SFIS. Annual surveillance audits are required and full recertification must occur every five years.

The SFI program also has a chain of custody (CoC) and labeling program. The CoC and labeling program include one label for primary producers and one label for secondary producers. Different claims are available to participants depending on the chain of custody system. Examples of claims include fiber sourcing and percent content. In this context, "labels" can be physically seen on the packaging or advertising of a product. The presence of such a label along with a claim indicates that a product produced by a company is independently certified as conforming to specific standards.

More information about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative program can be found by visiting their websites: www.aboutsfb.org and www.aboutsfi.org.