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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110162] Mr. Hain: The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) label is accepted by buyers as demonstrating that timber and timber products have come from sustainably managed resources. It is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by the Department are independently certified by FSC because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against public procurement rules. Moreover, insistence on FSC certification alone might result in FCO failing to meet all its requirements as only a tiny percentage of timber products are currently FSC certified. The Department is undertaking an environmental audit of its operations. The issue of certification of sustainably managed paper and timber sources will be addressed. Evidence of sustainability might take the form of a certificate issued under a credible, preferably independent, verification scheme; or other documents which demonstrate the operation of an environmental management system incorporating forest management criteria which conform with internationally recognised principles such as the Helsinki Guidelines.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

110162; 344 c835W

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Environment protection Government departments Paper Sustainable development Timber Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forest products Forest Stewardship Council