Certification can do better

On closer investigation, however, while not good, the story was far less clear-cut and did have its plus points, with the FSC itself criticising the Sunday Times to the TTJ for the "journalistic licence" of the coverage.

The Rainforest Alliance's FSC audit of Swedwood did say the company had broken the rules in some aspects of forest management, and failed in its obligations to identify environmentally sensitive areas. As a result "key biotopes", trees which should not have been felled, may have been lost. The company had also fallen below FSC standards in training and health and safety.

However, there were no references to Swedwood randomly felling 600-year-old trees for kitchen cabinets. Moreover, relations between Swedwood/IKEA and FSC are clearly still positive. Swedwood held up its hands over its shortcomings and said it was rectifying them. IKEA said the episode showed that FSC worked, and everyone was keen for the Karelian certificate to be restored.

So once more we had an example of the media swallowing the hardline eco group line, and turning an undeniably serious certification issue into a crisis. The result was yet another environmentally committed business (IKEA is the biggest FSC timber user in retail) being pilloried for falling short of the high standards it has worked hard to set. Being certified, it had effectively set itself up to be knocked down.

But on the unmitigated plus side for certification this week came the news that China's national Forest Certification Scheme has been endorsed by the PEFC. This brings the world's biggest timber importer and timber products manufacturer into the certification fold, which has to be a plus for the image of the industry globally. And the Chinese have said they will now encourage their leading suppliers in their region to follow suit.

So to the not so sure news, which comes from the UK timber producers and processors of Confor. A report it commissioned explores new certification options, prompted by concerns at the cost and weight of admin of established schemes in a country of minimal environmental risk, plus the prospect of an alternative ISO chain of custody standard .

Few would argue certification overall has been a global force for good; helping preserve forests and enhancing timber's environmental image. But as the IKEA and similar episodes have shown, more needs to be done by all parties to ensure that when committed green businesses slip up on the rules, their certificate doesn't just become a target on their back for NGOs and media to shoot at.

It is also undeniable that businesses are frustrated by what they see as confusioninducing turf wars between the main certification schemes and their costs, firing interest in the ISO proposal. But China now coming onside with PEFC is clearly going to reinforce the big schemes' brand strength. Better then than numerous other systems affiliating to the ISO standard, suggested an importer, that FSC and PEFC sign up to it to make the two interchangeable in the eyes of the market. At the same time, he said, to keep everyone on side, the big schemes might look at lessening the burdens they impose on businesses in countries of demonstrably low risk of illegality or unsustainability.