Will they dare? Since April, several of the Swedish giants of the forest industry are threatening to give up, at least temporarily, to the certification of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the organization which issues the durable wood management labels. They accuse him of imposing too strict rules, slowing down their production, even though NGOs and many researchers alert to the state of Swedish forests, overexploited and which absorb almost 40 % of Co2 less than thirty years ago.
“It is not an easy decision, but it is necessary if we want to achieve our objectives in terms of sustainability and climate and, at the same time, respect our commitments to our customers”wrote, in early April, Jonas Martensson, patron of SCA (Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget), in a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the FSC, subhra Bhattaccharjee.
With 2.7 million hectares of forest, the group is the first private forest owner in Europe. In 2024, its turnover reached 20 billion crowns (1.9 billion euros) and its profits increased by 35 %.
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Source: Lemonde