What Is FSC Week? (& Some of Our Favorite FSC-Certified Products!)
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has designed an entire week (September 20-24, 2021) of celebrations culminating in their annual global awareness day: FSC Friday. The theme of FSC Week is Stand for Forests. Stand with FSC.
This post is generously sponsored by FSC. I only work with brands I trust and love!
What is FSC Week?
FSC Week (#FSCWeek) is designed to increase knowledge, encourage commitment and raise appreciation for FSC and FSC-certified products. Their vision is to drive positive change for our world's forests through informed consumer choices.
Did you know when you support a company that is FSC certified you are supporting our forests? From the air we breathe to the products we use and the medicines we need, humans could not survive without forests. But between 2015 and 2020, our planet lost 50 million hectares of forest.
The FSC logo can be found on wood and paper products, packaging, bags, tags, furniture, fabric, yoga mats and more. When you see products with the FSC logo you can trust that they are made with responsibly sourced materials.
Introducing ShopFSC.ca
Part of FSC Week is the launch of FSC Canada’s exciting new website, ShopFSC.ca, where consumers can shop directly from brands that carry this trusted certification. You can shop from six categories and a wide range of sustainable products, many of which have also been featured right here on The Eco Hub.
What are some of the brands that have the FSC logo?
As consumers demand more from the brands they support, brands are really stepping up and taking sustainability to the next level. We’re excited to feature some of the brands that are FSC certified in a range of categories:
FSC-Certified Fashion and Lifestyle Brands
Allbirds Eco-Friendly Sneakers
Put your best foot forward with this Australian sustainable fashion brand, known for its sustainable sneakers. Their Womens’ Tree Skippers are made from eucalyptus tree fiber responsibly sourced from FSC® Certified forests. They feel silky, smooth and breathable. They also contain castor bean oil (which BTW emits less carbon than petroleum-based foam) and ZQ Merino Wool!
The Men’s Tree Loungers, Tree Toppers and Pipers also carry the FSC seal of approval.
Allbirds is also a B Corp and is using regenerative agriculture to source their wool.
Hunter’s Original Wellington Boot
We are singing in the rain now that Hunter offers a boot that is made from natural rubber that is FSC-certified and 100% waterproof. These gorgeous boots are handcrafted “to strict standards to protect forests, as well as the animals and communities that depend on them.” Not only that but they are also certified vegan, which we love! (Hunter has also committed to using only FSC-certified rubber by 2025!)
Patagonia
You know how much we love Patagonia! They carry everything from backpacks to winter coats to jeans and even swimsuits. If you surf or spend time in the ocean, they carry a line of stretchy neoprene-free tops and bottoms for men and women. These are made with 85% natural rubber that comes from sources that are Forest Stewardship Council® certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
On their website, you can actually view the impact of each item they sell, including how each item is made, where it’s made and who makes it.
FSC-Certified Furniture Brands
Did you know there is such a thing as fast furniture? When it comes to the couch you are sitting on, it’s unfortunately not built to last. Fast furniture, like fast fashion, exploits natural resources, precious minerals, forestry products and metal to make that one product that at its end of life will most likely end up in landfill after only a few years.
In Canada, there is no official count of the amount of furniture that ends up in landfills. In the USA, however, the EPA reports that it’s about 9.7 billion pounds every year; that includes all kinds of stuff from couches to credenzas. On top of that, recycling rates are typically very low thanks to the glues that are used, which makes it very challenging to be separated into reusable parts.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to support sustainable furniture brands that are FSC certified.
West Elm
You’ve probably been to one of their showrooms and swooned over their beautiful furniture and home goods. We love it when a mainstream company takes sustainability seriously. They carry a wide range of sustainably sourced home goods, including things like floating shelves, bar carts, mirrors, bedding and even rugs — all of which are certified to Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) standards coming from responsibly managed forests.
On the shopfsc.ca website, you will find a wide range of #wantthemall furniture for your home!
Molo Design
Molo makes award-winning flexible space partitions that are really really cool but are also made from “ wood harvested from FSC® Certified responsible sources and coated with a non-toxic fire retardant. The textile is a durable, nonwoven polyethylene that is water- and tear-resistant. Both materials are 100% recyclable.”
Balancing between realms of art, design and architecture, molo’s projects are grounded in space making and range in scale from tea set to museum.
Teknion
This Canadian company has a simple motto: create furniture that empowers people through design. Teknion makes simple, versatile work-from-home essentials — scaled for the residential setting and designed to quietly mix with modern furnishings. If you are in the market for a really great chair or desk, I highly recommend you take a look at the District® collection which includes desks, cabinets, windows and walls that reinterpret systems furniture. Go ahead and support forests from the comfort of your sustainable chair!
FSC-Certified Health and Beauty Brands
The Future is Bamboo
Did you know that about one billion toothbrushes are thrown away every year? Brushing our teeth should not come at the expense of the planet. Choosing a toothbrush made from bamboo is a no-brainer and the Future is Bamboo is leading the way.
Choose from brushes for adults or kids, which come in an array of fun colors. You can even save some cash by purchasing the family packs. The Charcoal Bamboo Toothbrushes Family 8-pack is their best seller; you can make a one-time purchase for $30 or sign up for their subscription and never run out again.
The toothbrush handles are made with responsibly sourced bamboo that is FSC-certified and is also Vegan and Cruelty-Free! The bristles are made from charcoal and are BPA-free.
The Future is Bamboo also has a C02 offset program that allows them to track their supply chain impact and offset it by planting trees. They ship with minimal packaging, too. And don't forget to grab your zero waste floss too.
PEHR
Baby products made from plastic are not something you want in your home. Many of them are made using unwanted materials like BPA. (There is some good news here, though: BPA was banned in some children’s products in Canada a few years ago with the feds recognizing that babies and toddlers put everything in their mouths.)
The baby products PEHR are sure to earn insta-love! The On The Go Teether is the perfect addition to your baby bag—it’s designed to make traveling a lot easier. The bow is made with GOTS-certified organic cotton and the solid maple handle is constructed with FSC-certified wood. It’s ethically made and comes in 7 of the cutest patterns! It will be hard to resist snatching these up.
PEHR is a female-founded and female-led company that works with groups like Care & Fair and Good Weave, organizations dedicated to providing educational opportunities for women in developing nations.
FSC-Certified Paper Products
We can’t talk about FSC without talking about paper products! With so many of us working from home and looking for #homeoffice essentials, FSC has made it easier than ever to find sustainable paper products for both your home and your office.
Brands like Staples, HP, Dotmar, Hammerhill and Xerox are all stepping up to make it easier for us to choose more sustainable products. Choosing FSC-certified paper products, like copy paper and envelopes, can make a big difference for our world’s forests!
Some of the items to look out for when you shop are:
- Staples FSC-Certified Multiuse Paper
- Staples FSC-Certified Inkjet Paper
- Staples FSC-Certified 30% Recycled Copy Paper
- Staples FSC-Certified Laser Paper
- Hammermill Premium Inkjet & Laser FSC-Certified Paper
- Xerox Bold Digital FSC Certified Printing Paper
- Domtar EarthChoice50 Recycled Office Paper
- HP FSC-Certified Multipurpose Paper
- Domtar FSC Certified Lynx Digital
Don’t forget to choose FSC-certified paper for your kid’s school supplies too! FSC and shopfsc.ca are your one-stop-shop for all your paper needs!
FSC-Certified Tissue and Personal Hygiene
Tissues, toilet paper and paper towels traditionally have a huge impact on our forests, especially here in Canada. Greenwashing and misleading information can make it really hard to decipher whether or not the brand you choose is actually a sustainable one.
That’s one of the reasons why FSC has launched FSC week — to make it easier for us!
Zero/low waste toilet paper is trending, and these brands are helping to make the movement more mainstream!
When shopping, be on the lookout for:
- Ultra CleanCare® 1-Ply Toilet Paper
- Bounty Paper Towels
- Kleenex® Trusted Care™ 2-Ply Facial Tissues
- Unbleached Bamboo Facial Tissues from Mouche
- Puffs Tissue
You can trust that all of these everyday household paper products are FSC certified.
FSC-Certified Miscellaneous Products
Along with paper, furniture and beauty items, there is a wide range of other goods that you probably would never think of when it comes to sustainability.
FSC has done such a great job at sourcing some of these unique items that will certainly bring a dose of joy and fun to the mix!
If you are a music buff, there is a guitar with your name on it. Martin Guitar’s 00L Earth Guitar is “not just a guitar. It’s a call to action on climate change.” This is the first acoustic guitar that is both 100% FSC®-certified and 100% plastic-free. Even the gig bag is sustainable: made from hemp — a Martin first. So play, preserve, and protect the planet. This is music to our ears!
Do you ever wish that you could find the cutest and most sustainable cooking utensils on the market? Wish granted! At William Sonoma, you will find an assortment of goodies that not only perform but are also made with FSC-certified woods like walnut and maple.
I’ve already added both of these to my cart!
Now it’s easier than ever to create a zero-waste kitchen with functional and beautiful kitchen must-haves.
Other notable mentions include this Claw Hammer from Amazon Basics. This is the perfect gift for the DIY dude in your life. It’s made with FSC-certified wood and a forged steel hammer.
Throwing a chic zero-waste party? Leave the plastic in the store and opt instead for Greenlid’s Birch Cutlery that’s 100% compostable and made from sustainably sourced birch trees.
There are some food products that are FSC-certified as well. On the Bend Sugar Shack offers Maple Syrup, Maple Butter, Maple BBQ sauce, and Maple Granulated Sugar, all of which are sourced from FSC-certified maple trees. Pancakes all day? Um, DUH!
Final thoughts on FSC Week?
Wow, we are delighted with the range of products and businesses that are choosing to make sustainability more accessible for everyone. ShopFSC.ca has so many green goodies in one place!
We’d love to hear from you... Do you shop for FSC-certified products? Will you now? Let us know which brands and products are your favourites!
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