CC FWStudio
FSC disassociated from Danzer after a complaint by Greenpeace International was filed against SIFORCO and its parent company The Danzer Group. The FSC Board of Directors set a number of conditions that Danzer had to fulfil before re-applying for certification. In January and February 2014 the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) conducted field missions to verify Danzer’s and SIFORCO’s fulfillment of these conditions. Subsequently, the FSC Board of Directors (BoD) decided that it did not have enough evidence to be confident that the conditions had been completely fulfilled and asked FSC to negotiate a roadmap for re-association with Danzer. After Danzer relayed that they had completed the stipulations as laid out in the new roadmap, FPP conducted desk audits and a field visit to Bumba to verify the veracity of the roadmap fulfillment. FPP found that the requirements had been adequately met, and based on the findings of the FPP report and an assessment by the FSC Quality Assurance Unit, the FSC Board of Directors decided to lift the disassociation from the Danzer Group.
August 2014
July 2014
Roadmap to end disassociation between Danzer and FSC is complete.
December 2013
FSC commissioned Forest Peoples Programme to verify the implementation of the conditions.
June 2013
MoU finalized with Danzer detailing the conditions for re-association.
May 2013
FSC disassociates from the Danzer Gourp
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Case
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How was the Danzer Group in Violation of the Policy for Association?
The complaints panel found that the Danzer Group, through one of its subsidiaries, SIFORCO, was indirectly responsible for human and traditional rights violations.
Evidence gathered in situ show that SIFORCO was indirectly responsible for the acts of violence committed at Yalisika. Firstly, rather than engaging in the necessary dialogue with the local communities, it had the local police settle their dispute. Secondly because it assisted the police force in their action at Yalisika by making a vehicle available and covering the cost of food.
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What conditions were placed on the Danzer Group towards ending disassociation with FSC?
The Danzer Group had to meet the following three conditions:
1.) The Danzer Group performed fully on the obligations the company promised to the people at Yalisika, which included the construction of a school and health center, and construction of a road.
2.) The Danzer Group has created and implemented new, robust conflict avoidance and conflict resolution procedures to prevent conflicts of the sort that occurred in and around Yalisika, taking into account FSC Guidance on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Danzer also had to carry out FPIC processes and field testing in the IFO (one of their subsidiaries, Industrie Forestier de Ouesso) concession, as well as expand the capacity of IFO’s social team.
3.)The Danzer Group had its progress towards these goals verified by third-party organization Forest People's Program (FPP).