It has been a year full of surprises for all of us – some pleasant, some less pleasant. Most surprising for me has been how much FSC APAC has accomplished despite the continuing pandemic. In 2021 we managed to create synergies, improve our outreach and engagement, achieve impressive growth, and advance our vision all around APAC.
We received conditional approval for two National Forest Stewardship Standards (NFSS) – in India and New Zealand. Congratulations to both teams involved for all your hard work, we hope to achieve full approval in 2022. The Malaysia NFSS revision to include non-timber forest products was also fully approved just before the turn of the year.
Crucially for smallholders in Southeast Asia, the Asia Pacific Regional Forest Stewardship Standard (RFSS) for Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Thailand was finally approved in June and pilot rollout have begun subsequently in Vietnam and Indonesia, with India and Thailand following in 2022. The RFSS has been a long time in the making, and will undoubtedly improve our growth by enhancing our system to be more inclusive to smallholders and encouraging them to the sustainable management of their trees and land. Meanwhile, the Interim National Standard for Sri Lanka was also approved and became effective on 1 August. The standard applies to small and low-intensity managed forests and includes non-timber forest products like natural rubber latex, bamboo, rattan, forest fruits, and nuts.
Our growth figures across APAC were strong again this year, particularly Chain of Custody growth, which was up 20% YOY; while Promotional License Holders increased by 34.5% – a very impressive effort, driven by our networks' collective hard work.
In October, a survey of 12,000 people across 15 countries conducted by GlobeScan for FSC discovered that consumers want to make sustainability-focused purchasing decisions and that trusted third-party certification labels like FSC play an increasingly important role. The study showed that more than 80% of shoppers expect companies to ensure their wood and paper products do not contribute to deforestation. This research reinforces that we are on the right track and should inform our strategies in 2022.
At the beginning of 2021, none of us expected that a year later, we would still be apart from one another, isolated from our friends and co-workers around the region, and still waiting for the pandemic to end. Yet here we are. Together, though apart, we achieved so much in 2021. I cannot help but be optimistic that in 2022, FSC APAC will put the pandemic behind us, come together in person, and have an absolutely outstanding year. I hope you share my optimism.
Seasons greetings from all of us at FSC Asia Pacific. Here’s to a healthy, joyful and prosperous year ahead!.
Cindy Cheng
FSC Asia Pacific Regional Director