On March 10, 2014, The Rainforest Alliance announced that they have lifted the suspension of the FSC certificate of Swedwood Karelia’s forestry operations, following an independent appeals committee evaluation of the annual audit.

“We are pleased to get the suspension of our FSC certificate withdrawn since it is important for us to demonstrate a responsible forest management. Our focus is now to continue our work with good forest management and make sure that the outstanding deviations are closed,” says Anders Hildeman, Forestry Manager IKEA Group.

After the suspension of the FSC certificate in January 2014, IKEA Industry and Swedwood Karelia submitted an appeal to get clarity as to whether the grading of the non-conformances was in line with FSC standards.

“Thorough controls and follow-ups show the strength of the FSC system and we consider the evaluation of the appeal committee to be in line with the FSC principles. We continue to stand firmly behind the FSC principles. We believe it is the most credible forest certification system available as its foundation is to strike a balance between economically viable forest management, safeguarding environmental values and the rights and needs of people who work and live in the forests,” Anders Hildeman concludes.

Through our purchasing policies and partnership projects we will continue to support responsible forest management in Russia which also will have a positive impact on the Karelia region.

Swedwood Karelia has been FSC certified since 2006 and is annually inspected for compliance with the FSC standards. However, a low price must never be at the expense of quality of production conditions.

Source: IKEA