IFO certificate completes Danzer FSC process
17 December 2014The renewal of the FSC certification of Danzer’s Republic of Congo operation Industrie Forestière d’Ouesso (IFO) sets the seal on the company’s wider reassociation into the scheme.
The company was disassociated by FSC in May 2013. This followed allegations that SIFORCO, a former subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had failed in its social responsibility obligations in terms of local conflict resolution.
Over the following year, Danzer worked towards reassociation, maintaining FSC standards and working on its procedures with leading peace research specialist swisspeace.
Following reassociation, IFO had to renew its forest management and chain of custody certificates and this process is now completed successfully, with the procedure carried out by Rainforest Alliance. As a result Danzer company Interholco can again offer the entire range of FSC-certified products with the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.
According to Danzer, IFO was one of the pioneers of FSC certification in the Congo basin, passing its first audit by SGS (Socie´te´ Ge´ne´rale de Surveillance) in 2009.
Its certificates cover 1.16 million ha of forestry concession, the largest certified continuous forest area in the tropics. The certification procedure was carried out by Rainforest Alliance.
As part of its reassociation process, Danzer worked with FSC, Swisspeace, the Forest Peoples Program, national NGOs and stakeholders to develop a new performance standard for the Congo Basin. This standard, which has already been attained by IFO, will prove fundamental for the region.
