Theme: FSC ® furniture
Wooden furniture and ecology
Nowadays, among people, there is a widely growing awareness of caring for the planet, and in particular for its natural resources. When making a purchase, more and more people pay attention to the origin of products and the pro-environmental activities of their producers. In the case of wooden furniture elements, it is worth choosing those that are FSC ®certified.
What does FSC ® stand for?
FSC ®- is an abbreviation of the name of the international non-profi organization - Forest Stewardship Council, whose main goal is the sustainable development of forest management. Thanks to the activities of the organization, we can be sure that the products with the FSC ®certificate come from forest areas protected against illegal use, while the process of obtaining wood material does not disturb the natural environment of the fauna.
and flora. The organization's efforts are focused on preventing over-exploitation of forest areas in order to maintain the environmental balance.
In addition to pro-ecological activities, FSC ® alsofocuses its activities on the development of good social practices in this sector of the economy. The organization ensures that the rights of protection and safety of forest workers are respected, including by organizing training courses. An important criterion for actions aimed at maintaining the balance in the ecosystem is ensuring access to the use of forest areas by the local community. The FSC ®certificate means respect for both nature and man.
Polish FSC ® wood.
In Poland, forests covered by the FSC ®certificate cover over 7 million hectares. We are fifth worldwide, right after Canada, Russia and the USA
and Sweden. Considering the country's size, this is something to be proud of.
Sustainability and adopted requirements mean that the owners of certified forests and care of the FSC ®are not able to obtain the same area the same amount of material as the non-certified forest owners, in which the same very often comes to over-exploitation of the environment. The long-term strategy proposed by the FSC ®organization allows for ongoing monitoring of forest resources, thus avoiding irreversible disturbances of the ecosystem. In order to increase the attractiveness of FSC ®certification, the organization provides forest owners with stable and profitable financial conditions.
It should be remembered that wood from forests covered by FSC ®is more expensive than the rest. This is the case for a reason: in forests without a certificate, the cheapest and most effective full felling is usually used. A defined area is completely stripped of its tree stand.
In the place of the former forest, there is an empty space where it is difficult to reforest. Young plantings are more susceptible to disease and pest attacks, and tree regeneration takes much longer.
Why is it worth choosing FSC ® furniture?
Due to the regulations of the European Union, the vast majority of forests in Poland are under the care of FSC ®, and therefore their exploitation and development are sustainable and controlled. It does not mean, however, that all furniture produced in Poland is FSC ®certified. Cheaper wood, without certification, produced with great harm to the natural environment, is very often imported. For many manufacturers, this is still a more cost-effective solution. Fortunately, more and more furniture companies are choosing to use sourced raw materials
from certified forests FSC®. However, it is up to the customer to choose whether he wants to be sure that his purchase supports activities aimed at the protection of forest areas, or he will choose cheaper furniture supporting uncontrolled tree felling. The more people choose FSC ®products, the more effectively sustainable forest management will be supported.