ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

TRADING

Certification and labelling

Guarantees in the marketplace

What is certification?

Certification is a means of guaranteeing that a product has been produced in a certain way, or possesses certain characteristics. The standards are defined by the certifying organisation, and periodic inspections are made to ensure that the producer continues to meet those standards. The fact that the product has been certified is then flagged up in the marketplace by labelling schemes, giving a recognisable 'stamp of approval'.

Examples of certification

Current certification schemes in the natural products sector include organic and fair trade. In the UK the main organic certifier is the Soil Association, whilst fair trading standards are certified by the Fairtrade Foundation. Sustainability of timber production is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council: the FSC has also approved certification of a handful of NTFP products worldwide, including just one in the UK - Scottish venison.

How relevant is certification to Scottish NTFPs?

In the context of NTFPs in the UK, certification is most relevant in the context of sustainability, although social issues also need consideration. This would be similar to FSC forest certification, guaranteeing sustainable harvesting levels and appropriate management practices. However, the nature of NTFPs requires a different set of criteria from those developed for timber production.

What are the difficulties?

Certification involves a degree of expense for landowners or harvester/ producers. This will only be seen as worthwhile if there is public awareness of the issues and demand for sustainably produced products, and possibly a willingness to pay slightly over the odds for such items.

Certification is only of value if the origins of the products are well known, i.e. the chain of custody from forest to marketplace is adequately traceable. This is potentially problematic, however. Many of the wild mushrooms sold in Scotland, for example, are gathered informally by self-employed collectors. It would be very difficult to guarantee the sustainability of such products without better knowledge of where and how they were gathered.

Who's doing what?

Several international organisations are also working towards the development of NTFP certification schemes, and some trial programmes are already up and running.

The Rainforest Alliance's NTFP Marketing and Management Project, for example, has developed standards for NTFP certification that are now being adopted by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Key references: Tapping the Green Market

SmartWood NTFP Certification Standards Addendum

Selected web resources

Falls Brook Centre:
Certification of NTFPs - an emerging field

NTFP certification - challenges and opportunities

Rainforest Alliance:

Guidelines, standards and regulations for trade in NTFPs and botanicals (PDF)