At the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), they believe that sustainable forests are critical to our collective future. SFI is a sustainability leader through our work in standards, conservation, community, and education. As an independent, non-profit organization, they collaborate with a diverse network to provide solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. SFI works with the forest sector, brand owners, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, governments, and universities. Their mission is to advance sustainability through forest-focused collaboration.
We have mapped SFI to:
- Reducing Carbon Emissions
- Reducing Waste
- Protecting Ecosystems
- Empowering Human Rights
- Supporting Community/Giving Back
SFI certifies:
Products, manufacturers and companies
Cost to get certified:
SFI has 4 different standards: forest management, fiber sourcing, chain of custody and certified sourcing. There is no fee paid to SFI Inc. for the use of the Certified Sourcing label, however, companies are responsible for the cost of the audit. There is a $2,000-$3,000 annual fee for the chain of custody standard.
Do they perform audits on the companies:
Yes, they perform annual audits on the companies and manufacturers.
Do they have standards detailed on their website:
Yes, they have detailed standards on their website and it must be noted that the standard require continual improvement.
Controversies:
None that we know of.
Ethically's Quick take:
We somewhat agree that this certification has an impact on the values it aims to embody. While having its limitations and generally ranked slightly lower than other certifications like the Forest Stewardship Council and Green Seal; SFI is regarded as "including the fundamental elements of credibility and making positive contributions to forest sustainability."