Forest Stewardship Council Announces 10th Annual FSC Leadership Awards

Awards Highlight Diverse and Enduring Commitment to Forest Conservation

MINNEAPOLIS – Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s most trusted forest certification system, announced its 10^th Annual FSC Leadership Awards, recognizing uncommon excellence that advances responsible forest management and forest conservation.

“From some the world’s largest retailers to a multi-generational family-run business, organizations of all shapes and sizes are stepping up for forests,” said Corey Brinkema, president of the Forest Stewardship Council U.S. “This year’s FSC Leadership Award winners show that we can conserve forests, fight climate change and protect wildlife, even as we use forest products every day,” he added.

FSC Leadership Awards celebrate forest owners, builders, architects, retailers, paper mills, manufacturers, environmental organizations and many others who contribute to the movement toward responsible sourcing and forest management. Winners of the 2020 FSC Leadership Awards are as follows:

• Amazon for launching Climate Pledge Friendly to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products, in partnership with trusted certifications like FSC.
• Appalachian Woodland Alliance and key partners Rainforest Alliance, Domtar, Evergreen Packaging and Columbia Forest Products, for pilot testing new approaches for FSC certification of family woodlands in the US Southeast.
• Forest Stewards Guild for building an effective coalition of certified businesses and stakeholders to support the rollout of the FSC Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment, improving conditions on the ground in key sourcing regions.
• Fran Price for being an extraordinary and enduring champion of FSC on the US and International Boards of Directors, at The Nature Conservancy and now at the World Wildlife Fund.
• Gagnon Lumber for decades of responsible management of 1,000 acres of certified northern hardwoods forest in Vermont, feeding its FSC-certified lumber mill and supplying construction markets in the Northeast.
• Georgia-Pacific for making 100% of its Quilted Northern Ultra Soft and Strong toilet paper FSC certified, supporting management of 75,000 acres of FSC-certified family forests in the Southeast US, and promoting conservation through its Endangered Forest Program in support of FSC’s Controlled Wood National Risk Assessment.
• Herman Miller for decades of commitment to responsible sourcing and growth of its FSC offerings, culminating in the sale of nearly a million pieces of FSC-certified furniture in 2019 under its Herman Miller and Geiger brands.
• Sofidel for effectively selling FSC to its retail partners, forecasting that more than half of its finished products sold in 2020 will carry the FSC logo, increasing from zero just three years earlier with corresponding growth in pulp procurement in the US and globally.
• Sustainable Furnishings Council for applying its Wood Furniture Scorecard to engage dozens of furniture retailers about their wood sourcing policies, creating pathways for continuous improvement and increasing demand for FSC-certified wood furniture.
• Target for developing new ways to engage and support suppliers in achieving FSC certification, including a free Chain-of-Custody Kit that was also translated into Mandarin, resulting in FSC certification for their Spritz line with more brands on the way.
• The University of Tennessee AgResearch and The Nature Conservancy for being the first academic institution to enroll forestland into the Conservancy’s Working Woodlands Program, and for demonstrating the potential for improved forest management to deliver natural climate solutions in the U.S.
• Redwood Forest Foundation and Usal Redwood Forest Company for restoring 50,000 acres of degraded timberland, adding woody debris to 12 miles of salmon habitat and decommissioning 26 miles of streamside roads, while serving as vocal advocates for FSC certification.
• Community Rebuilds and Architectural Nexus for the Projects at Mill Creek, the first affordable housing community in the world to pursue the Living Building Challenge, using 80 percent FSC-certified wood with the remainder being salvaged.
• Meyer Memorial Trust for bringing together KPFF, Lever Architecture, O’Neil/Walsh Community Builders, project^, and Sustainable Northwest to responsibly source FSC-certified and restoration wood products for its new headquarters building in Portland. 
• Nordic Structures for the Gilles-Villeneuve Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit paddock, an 80,000 square-foot mass timber structure that uses 100 percent FSC-certified wood, including an innovative 1000-foot long cross-laminated timber roof structure.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FSC is celebrating the award winners virtually this year. In addition to receiving an FSC-certified wood plaque and a digital award, winners will be recognized during a December 2nd gathering of FSC North America members.  

About the Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global nonprofit organization that promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of forests. FSC was created in 1993 to set the standards by which forests are certified, offering assurance to consumers and businesses that the wood products they buy originate from well-managed forests. 4,500 companies and nearly 160 million acres of forestland are certified under FSC in the United States and Canada. For more information visit www.fsc.org.