Wednesday, October 28, 2015
The Forest Stewardship Council had decided to be separated from the Vietnam Rubber Group certification due to proof of unacceptable activities in Cambodia. FSC is disassociating from the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG), effective on October 27, after a decision was taken by the International Board of Directors in August this year. Disassociation will result in the termination of all FSC certificates held by VRG, taking effect three months from the date of the announcement.
“The decision to disassociate from an FSC certificate holder is always difficult, but safeguarding the integrity and credibility of FSC must be our priority. When evidence of activities contradictory to FSC values is presented to us, the robustness of the FSC Policy for Association, and the meticulous and impartial nature of our dispute resolution system, ensures these activities do not go unchecked,” said Kim Carstensen, Director General of FSC.
The disassociation results from the formal complaint filed by Global Witness in September 2014, alleging that VRG’s rubber plantations in non FSC-certified areas were negatively impacting the environment, and the livelihoods of local communities in Cambodia and Laos.
The decision was made after in-depth research by an impartial complaints panel concluded that VRG subsidiaries were involved in unacceptable activities, as defined in the Policy for the Association of Organizations with FSC (FSC–POL–01–004), in non FSC-certified forest operations in Cambodia. Unacceptable activities that occurred with the establishment of plantations in Cambodia by VRG include:
• The illegal logging and trade of illegal wood and forest product
• The violation of traditional and human rights
• The destruction of high conservation values
• The significant conversion of forests to plantations or non forest use
Tags: FSC, the vietnam rubber group, VRG certification
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