Alcan Composites Receive Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification

Plantaciones de Balsa, Plantabal S.A., part of ALCAN COMPOSITES Core Materials, has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program. This certification ensures that Plantabal meets a set of environmental, social and economic criteria which makes them an FSC-certified company who support responsible forest management. Plantabal thus makes ALCAN COMPOSITES Core Materials the first and only balsa core material supplier with FSC-certified plantations.

“Achieving the FSC certification is for us an important sign of our strong commitment to the environment and to the people we work with. It shows that we walk the talk,” said Pierre Monéton, President of ALCAN COMPOSITES Core Materials. “We are very proud to pass this good news on to our customers today. The certification sets new standards for balsa core producers and is a guarantee for our customers that we produce our balsa according to the highest environmental and social standard. In addition to our own ‘DRIVEN by ECO-LOGIC’ program, we now also have trusted third party confirmation of the good work we have done.”

The FSC is the global standard-setter in responsible forest management. Forest Management certification is granted to forestry operations that have met the FSC standards. The certification criteria cover compliance with laws and international treaties, land-use and indigenous peoples’ rights, community relations, biodiversity conservation and maintenance of high conservation value forests, among other things.

The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization, is the world’s leading certifier of forestlands to the FSC standards. Since pioneering the concept of responsible forestry certification in 1989, the organization has certified more than 55 million hectares (136 million acres) of forestland. The Rainforest Alliance works with businesses in making more responsible choices to protect natural resources, conserve biodiversity and promote the well-being of workers, their families and local communities.

As a Forest Stewardship Council/Rainforest Alliance Certified™ forest operation with 8,338 hectares of certified forestland, Plantabal meets those comprehensive standards of responsible forest management. By owning the entire process from the seedling to the tree, Plantabal can guarantee continuous reforestation and safeguard the high quality of their balsa forests. Certain parts of the plantation are left to nature, to conserve the natural habitat of many animal species. In this way biodiversity is preserved for the benefit of the environment and of the population that lives and works there.