Currently, the vast majority of wood comes from sources with widely varying claims, or lack of claims, about the sustainability of the logging operations. Many governments have been generally unable to effectively ensure ecologically benign forestry. Many nations have been unable to stop even illegal logging on their forestlands, let alone assure that it is done in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The certification movement has emerged to fill the gap.
Certification is a market-based auditing system that verifies compliance with a number of criteria.
It is a market-based approach that effectively shifts the burden of ensuring compliance from the government to the private sector and civil society. The Forest Stewardship Council is the most widely recognized and supported certification organization. It is the only certification system that includes third-party verification of environmental, economic and social criteria. For this reason, the number of operations and the overall acreage certified by the FSC is growing quickly. For most products, demand outstrips supply as larger and larger retailers seek to fill their shops with FSC-certified wood.