FSC disassociates Danzer

The board of directors of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has decided to terminate its relationship with the Danzer Group. As reported by the FSC, an enquiry carried out by a Complaints Panel found proof that SIFORCO, a former subsidiary of Danzer, was linked to human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2011. The disassociation means that the Danzer Group – and all its subsidiary companies – loses its FSC certificates and the right to use the FSC stamps. The Danzer Group is one of the world’s biggest producers of decorative veneer and numbers among the ten largest producers of hardwood timber products in North America. The decision also affects the most extensive FSC forest management certificate in the Congo Basin, which is run by IFO, a Danzer subsidiary.