SFI Recognition in the Marketplace

The SFI program is recognized by many influential organizations around the world such as the Competition Bureau of Canada, conservation groups, non-profits and governments, including Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and others. Examples include:

After a rigorous assessment in 2008, the United Kingdom’s Central Point of Expertise on Timber confirmed the SFI program was among those that meet its government’s requirements for ‘legality’ and ‘sustainability’.
The international Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) endorsed the SFI forest standard in 2005 after a thorough application, independent assessments and a public review process.
EcoLogo, an initiative owned by Environment Canada and managed by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, says SFI, CSA and FSC were designed to provide consumers with independent, third-party assurance of sustainable forest management, ethical behaviour and adherence to laws at all points along the product value chain.
An independent scientific study by The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences – Changing Timberland Ownership in the Northern Forest and Implications for Biodiversity (2005) – concluded landowners that were certified sustainable under either SFI or FSC standards had significantly stronger biodiversity practices than landowners not certified. There was no difference between FSC and SFI in terms of overall biodiversity practice scores.
In 2008, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers issued A Statement on Forest Certification Standards in Canada saying: “The forest management standards of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) are all used in Canada. Governments in Canada accept that these standards demonstrate, and promote the sustainability of forest management practices in Canada.”
The U.S. General Services Administration Solicitation for Offers requirement (Section 7.4) encourages the use of certified wood for all new installations of wood products, and references FSC United States and SFI for more information.
Public Works and Government Services Canada requires all wood products used in its building projects to be certified under one of the three certification programs that operate in Canada: SFI, the Canadian Standards Association or the Forest Stewardship Council. The department believes all three programs effectively promote more sustainable management of Canada’s forest resources.

The SFI program has been repeatedly and favorably recognized in eco-labeling and greenwashing studies conducted by Terrachoice Environmental Marketing, and is recognized in the Competition Bureau of Canada’s Environmental Claims Report.

In its 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing report, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing said the SFI label is a credible eco-label because the SFI program meets its three key criteria – third-party certified, publicly available standard and transparent standard development process. The SFI label was among 14 labels that Terrachoice found to be “legitimate”
A 2009 poll by Terrachoice – EcoMarkets Summary Report 2009 – found that procurement specialists in North America expect to spend more in future on green products, and reaffirmed that the SFI label is among their top 10 recognized or used eco-labels.
In its Environmental Claims: A Guide for Industry and Advertisers (2008), the Competition Bureau of Canada encourages consumers and businesses to look for forest products “that were certified to a sustainable forest management standard,” which includes the SFI program.
Tom Hinton, President and CEO of the 82,000-member American Consumer Council developed five questions to evaluate the credibility of a “green” certification system, and SFI program meets them all (see page 7, SFI Newsletter). Hinton says: “We support the good work of SFI and applaud the positive and progressive things SFI is doing, including their new labels. When it comes to environmentally friendly claims, consumers want to see the proof and not just the sizzle.”
Many green building tools, including the National Home Building Standard™ in the United States and Green Globes recognize SFI-certified wood products as a sound environmental choice.

A number of studies have found that SFI certification is helping to achieve environmental and social benefits. These include:

Several studies found SFI certification helped achieved best management practices to protect water quality, including:
- The Texas Forest Service: Voluntary Implementation of Forestry Best Management Practices in East Texas (2008)
- The South Carolina Forestry Commission: Forestry Best Management Practices for Harvesting in South Carolina 2007-2008
- The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry (Implementation of Forestry Best Management Practices in Tennessee)
Coordinators involved in a 2007 study by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation study of whether third-party certification could improve the stewardship of U.S. national forests (National Forest Certification Study 2007) found that the SFI and Forest Stewardship Council programs both explored a wide range of issues substantially affecting the sustainability of management of the participating national forests, and both cover an appropriate balance of economic, environmental and social concerns.
In a Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-Based Products (2007) toolkit, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute listed positive attributes of SFI procurement objectives, such as delivering credible information about products, showing they come from legal sources, supporting sustainable forest management, and addressing social issues. The toolkit, Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-Based Products, was developed to help corporate managers define and implement sound procurement policies when buying products originating from the world’s forests.