FSC in Australia

FSC has had a presence in Australia since 2001 when a contact person was appointed. In 2006, Responsible Forest Management Australia Limited was incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee (ABN 81 120 667 870) to promote FSC in Australia and seek accreditation as an FSC National Initiative.

Responsible Forest Management Australia Limited (RFMA) trades as FSC Australia (Victorian business name registration number B1937608F). Its mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests in Australia and countries supplying the Australian forest products market.

 

It strives to achieve this object through:

  1. The development of Australian national and regional standards for responsible forest management that are accredited internationally by FSC;
  2. Educational activities with forest stakeholders including forest management companies, organisations involved in the processing, manufacture, trade, sale or use of products that include material originating in forests and forest communities;
  3. The promotion of the FSC system to customers for forest products in Australia and the promotion of products that carry the FSC trademark;
  4. Relationship building activities with governments, industry groups, companies, educational bodies, trade unions, community groups, indigenous peoples’ organisations, environmental and social non-governmental organisations; and
  5. The encouragement of FSC accredited certification bodies to become active in the Australian market and to undertake reviews on the performance of the FSC system in Australia and provide feedback on that performance to members.

FSC in Australia

 

FSC Australia has three focus areas of development:

  1. development of the organisation in a way that represents the FSC system, engages a wide cross-section all stakeholders and provides a strong financially viable base to pursue its mission;
  2. development of national and regional standards for forest management that are appropriate to the Australian environment and social circumstances;
  3. development of markets for FSC certified products (fibre, paper and sawn wood);

In addition, FSC Australia will seek to participate in activities that promote responsible forest management in neighbouring countries and countries supplying the Australian forest products market.