"The protection of natural resources are imperative to our survival," an Interview with Sandra Morgan from WoodNet
WoodNet Market Council is directed by Sandra Morgan in New Hampshire. WoodNet was one of the first groups to be certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. Recently, Sandra answered some questions from DIGS about chain of custody certifications.
DIGS: Why is it important to trace the origin of a tree to the forest? What does this teach consumers?
Sandra: There are many reasons to connect the products we purchase with points of origin. Was the harvest of the tree legal? Were CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) treaties honored? Was the land managed responsibly? Did we respect the rights of the people in the local community? How much regard or what value was placed on wild life habitat?
Carefully considered, these questions remind us that: all prosperity is dependent upon natural resources, natural resources are finite, and finally, the protection of these resources are imperative to our survival.
Hopefully when we trace the origin of the product from our homes back through all the links in the supply chain we will learn to walk softly on the earth.
D: Why is this process needed to counteract destroying entire forests?
S: I'm not sure this process is necessary to counteract the destruction of the forest; however, it is the best solution we have at the moment.
Third party certifications like the Forestry Stewardship Council aren't just about stopping the destruction of the forest, although that is the primary concern. Take a look at the 10 Principles of the Forest Stewardship Council. The development of these policies involved more than concern for the forest. These principles demonstrate environmental concern inside a socioeconomic framework. FSC certified forests are healthy working forests that support entire communities while providing sustenance for wild life and the protection of the forest's ability to cleanse the air we breathe and the water we drink.
To consume less and recycle or repair more frequently will stop the destruction of the entire forest more rapidly and have a greater positive impact on our environment. What drives us to replace our clothes, shoes, floors, furniture? Do those items really need to be replaced or are we driven by style? Marketing? Planned obsolesce?
Do we really need exotic or tropical hardwoods for our floors? Take a moment and think about this – which is a better choice: locally grown, harvested and processed flooring or an exotic tropical hardwood that must be transported thousands of miles to be installed in my home? If I am measuring positive environmental impact then it's the local product. Does a certification label applied to that exotic tropical hardwood make it a better choice? The reality is that certification labels make us feel better about our purchase, but those labels don't always lead to the best choice. Become an informed consumer; check on both sides of the story visit the FSC and The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification websites to learn about certification programs then check out FSC Watch and PEFC Watch for the rest of the story.
Try to avoid the hype that comes with forest certification brand awareness campaigns. There is competition in the market among the certification bodies. The European Union and others are calling for mutual recognition among certification bodies to reduce confusion in the market place. Once FSC was the most credible standard, but today, what once was, simply isn't.
[caption id="attachment_672" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Wood from a Peru forest, courtesy of Rhea Alexander"]
[/caption]
The fact is only 10% of the world’s forests are third party certified – FSC, PEFC and others combined. If we are truly concerned about saving the forest then we, the consumers in the world, need to encourage unity among the providers of third party certification.
Third party certification provides me, the average consumer, with the ability to participate in the protection of the global forest. I believe in third party certification because sustainably responsible forest management standards encourage restoration of severely degraded forests, discourage clear cutting, and help to reduce or prevent the use of harmful pesticides while protecting wildlife habitat and local economies.
Stewardship is an active partnership between nature and all people.
D: How do you know the process prevents destroying entire forests? Do they take little by little? In other words, what is the exact process?
S: Have you ever heard the statement, “You can't see the forest for the trees?” The forest is more than a body of trees.
On a very simple level we can say the forest includes air, animals, people, plant life, trees and water. We protect the forest by managing what and how much we harvest. By taking this concept, we protect the forest by managing how we harvest. Finally, we protect the forest by managing our use of what we extract from the forest. For example, to insist on quality of design and long term usefulness is one way we can manage “our use” of forest based products.
[caption id="attachment_673" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A Peru forest, courtesy of Rhea Alexander"]
[/caption]
The exact process starts with the development of science based management strategies meant to protect all of the forest. Harvest planning includes consideration of wildlife habitat, protection of bodies of water, legality of harvest, rights of indigenous people and landowners. After harvest the “chain of custody” aspect of third party certification comes into play.
D: What is the “chain of custody?”
S: Chain of custody is how we track a forest based product from its origin in the forest through all the cycles of production to your front door. Each member of the supply chain helps to maintain a record of ownership. For example, I bought some timber from Betty Blue. I sawed Betty Blue's timber into lumber then I sold my lumber to Robin Red and I used Mark Magenta Mobile Freight Systems to deliver my lumber to Frank Fuschia's Flooring Company. This record-keeping continues all along the supply chain until the final consumer purchased the Chain of Custody Certified product.
D: How many members do you have currently? Is that number growing?
S: Currently we have 94 companies participating on our certificate.
Yes, that number is growing. Unfortunately, there are not enough groups working to develop group certificates and there are not enough people working to assist companies as they attempt to become FSC certified.
Here's an exciting stat for you, on March 18, 2011, the 20,000th FSC chain of custody certificate was issued. What we need to do now is double that number through consumer demand. We still need to make consumers aware of the availability of FSC certified products in the market place.
Susan Inglis for Sustainable Furnishings Council
Sustainable Furnishings Council is a non-profit association specializing in green furnishings located in Chapel Hill, NC that educates and markets organizations in sustainability. According to their website, SFC’s goals are to raise awareness of the sustainability issue, assist companies in adopting good practices, serve as an information clearing house and create a symbol of assurance for consumers.
“We are a membership organization, serving as an umbrella,” Susan Inglis, SFC’s executive director, said. “In our opinion, the industry does not need more certifications, but it does need more understanding of the existing certifications and labels that are pertinent to our operations.”
Some of SFC’s core values are reducing unsustainable raw resources and known toxic substances in all phases of business, recycling in operations and purchasing recycled content and creating recyclable products, and seeking legally-logged wood from vendors who have a verifiable chain of custody. “The chain of custody is the systematic tracking of wood-based products from their origin in the forest to their end-use,” Inglis explained. Find out their other core values in their Best Practices Agreement.
SFC’s values cover the triple bottom line: what’s good for the planet, communities and economies. “All three of these aspects need to be must be taken into account in order for any plan to be effective,” Inglis said.
Currently, SFC has about 400 members from different sectors of the green industry, from supplying and manufacturing to designers and retailers. Check out their growing membership list.
For non-members, they have great resources on their website like how to green your textiles or cushioning choices and how to green your home (great for making every day Earth Day!). They also offer webinars to their members to further educate on sustainability issues, so members can in turn educate their consumers.
Fair Trade Fashion's Night Out Preview Show
Last month, NYC Fair Trade Coalition presented Fair Trade Fashion’s Night Out Preview Show at Arcadia NYC featuring fair trade brands for September’s Fashion Week in NYC. The idea came from Of Rags managing partner, James Branson Skinner. “We want to show New York City and the world that fair trade is fashionable,” he said. Of Rags will be in Accra, Ghana to prepare for Fashion Week and will hopefully put together some footage to highlight the connection between fair trade products and the artisan community.
The preview show received a tremendous amount of positive feedback. Ethicalistic mentioned the size of the event: “You know an event was a complete success when the biggest problem was that there were TOO many people that showed up.” Good & Fair Clothing wrote in their blog, “The Fair Trade and Sustainable Fashion show and expo at Arcadia was a hit! To have fair trade and sustainable fashion land on that big stage would be a tangible step forward for an industry looking to change the world.” The Green wrote, “It was a great event that united fair trade companies with consumers.” Lotus Jayne noticed that fair trade will now be associated with trendy fashion: “The future of fair trade is looking better and better as products become more in tune with contemporary fashion and less, um...shall we say, crunchy granola?”
This is just a glimpse of some of the brands that were at Fair Trade Fashion Night’s Out Preview Show. The list of brands to be showcased at the September fashion show is still growing.
.jpg)
NYCFTC thanks Suzanna Finley for all the beautiful pictures.
Pamela Alimurung for NYC Fair Trade Coalition
[caption id="attachment_335" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Pamela Alimurung at Arcadia's Fair Trade Fashion Show"]
[/caption]
New York City Fair Trade Coalition is an all-volunteer grassroots movement that was founded in 2005. Pamela Alimurung has been chairperson since August 2010. According to her, fair trade is important for everyone to know because it raises awareness of the humanity behind consumerism.
“Our mission is two-fold. We educate the public on the importance and value of fair trade,” she said. “We want people to know there is a life behind every product we use and consume. We also promote and partner with our business members by offering them events to sell to the public or platforms to help their businesses grow.”
NYFTC has about 35 fair trade businesses and the list is growing. The members pay a small fee and NYCFTC offers them events, public relations support and general business building. “We have retail partners like Arcadia, Think Coffee and Sustainable NYC, faith organizations such as Judson Memorial Church and fair trade associations like Fair Trade Resources Network and Fair Trade Federation that help spread the word on events and host our sessions.”
[caption id="attachment_326" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Cecila Appinanim from Kupa Kokoo, on left, talks to a supporter"]
[/caption]
NYCFTC has held educational events such as a Q&A with Cecilia Appianim, a cocoa farmer with Kuapa Kokoo. They produce cocoa for Divine Chocolate and own 45% of the company. NYCFTC partnered up with Fair Trade U.S.A who organized Appianim’s travel arrangements and Sustainable NYC, a local and eco-friendly store, who held the event.
“We had about 35 people attend and they were engaged and learned about Cecilia’s work on the farm, how fair trade has positively affected her, her family and her community and, of course, to enjoy Divine Chocolate samples,” Alimurung said.
NYCFTC’s more recent event was a film screening of “The Dark Side of Chocolate.” They were honored to have the filmmaker, U. Roberto Romano, attend and answer questions. This time NYCFTC worked with Trade School, where individuals can teach for free, in downtown NYC to host the event. Alimurung recalls how amazing it was to see everyone stay after the event to discuss further the issues in the cocoa business.
[caption id="attachment_324" align="alignright" width="300" caption="NYCFTC's Fair Trade Holiday Fair"]
[/caption]
“I had one person tell me, ‘I could live off chocolate. I had no idea most of these brands I eat everyday blind themselves to the use of trafficked child labor. I can only buy fair trade now,’” she said. Seems like NYCFTC’s educational events work!
In addition to their informational sessions, NYCFTC also holds business events. They held “Fair Trade Holiday Fair” in December 2010 at Judson Memorial Church where 15 fair trade businesses came to sell their products for two days.
“It was well-attended and businesses were able to interact with the consumers,” Alimurung said. “The consumers, through their purchases, learned about how these fair trade businesses were “giving back” to the artisan community.”
[caption id="attachment_327" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Rhea Alexander, founder of DIGS, with her son and husband in the background"]
[/caption]
Alimurung bought the Robot Christmas Ornament at the holiday fair from DIGS for her godson, Max. She thought it would be a fun opportunity to teach him about recycled and fair trade items. He then brought it to school for show-and-tell!
“Now that I am more involved in fair trade I really try my best to make my dollar count,” Alimurung said. “This has also made me realize how much we consume and buy without thinking of the life at that other end of the supply chain.”
Thank you Suzanna Finley for NYCFTC’s photographs.
Carmen Iezzi for Fair Trade Federation
The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an integral part of fair trade. “FTF is the trade association located in downtown Washington, D.C. that strengthens and promotes North American organizations fully committed to fair trade,” Carmen Iezzi, FTF’s Executive Director, said. According to the FTF website, it values trade as a positive change, respectful partnerships, community, sustainable practices, full commitment to fair trade and consumer knowledge.
Formally incorporated in 1994, the FTF is an organizational evaluation association. In other words, they evaluate groups’ full commitment to the fair trade principles such as creating opportunities for economically and socially marginalized producers, paying farmers and artisans promptly and fairly, cultivating environmental stewardship and respecting cultural identity. These organizations oversee all types of fair trade products. The World Fair Trade Organization is also an organizational evaluation association.
“Each organization wanting to be part of FTF undergo a rigorous screening process to evaluate their trading practices and the depth of their commitment to the fair trade principles,” Iezzi said. “By approaching business and development in a holistic way, members work to make trade a tool to alleviate poverty, reduce inequality and create opportunities for people to help themselves.”
In a video interview with Iezzi, she describes FTF’s membership into three groups: 60% are importing companies based in the U.S. and Canada that work with artisan communities abroad, 30% are retailers and 10% are commodities companies like coffee and chocolate companies. FTF’s membership has increased steadily over time. In 2010, they added 31 new members. “Our members strive to only source under fair trade principles and place fair trade at the heart of what they do. FTF itself is not a certifying body, as we do not audit product chains,” Iezzi said.
Product certification organizations, like Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) and their U.S. affiliate, Fair Trade USA, set standards for and audits the supply chains of specific products from point of origin to point of sale.
“The FTF educates individual consumers by speaking to the press, engaging in social media, giving public presentations, and other forms of promotion,” Iezzi said. The FTF also continually supports its members by providing them fair trade educational tools via posters and brochures that they can pass on and further educate to their consumers on fair trade.
They also have the Fair Trade Federation University program that is available to members and the public. This platform works like an online university holding “webinars” that teach fair trade principles and impacts as well as general business building through social media and marketing strategies.
The FTF continues to positively impact the fair trade movement and promotes a sustainable economic and social system for everyone.