Strategies, functions and benefits of forest certification in wood products marketing: Perspectives of Finnish suppliers

Owari, Toshiaki; Juslin, Heikki; Rummukainen, Arto; Yoshimura, Tetsuhiko

doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2005.10.005

Cited by 62 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Factors included possible linkages of internal economic performance to increased sales and profit [30,50], diversification of product portfolios, increase of market share and penetration of new markets [23], commitment to environmental issues [14], and improvement of company image [18,26,32].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Chain-of-Custody Certification in the Czech and Slovak Republic

et al. 2017

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Forest certification is a voluntary verification tool that has been gaining importance within the global sustainability issues as an independent verification tool for sustainable forest management and wood processing industry and as an influencer in private and public purchasing policies and a component of emerging wood harvesting and trade legality schemes. This study focuses on the chain-of-custody (CoC) component of forest certification. A survey of CoC certified companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was carried out to explore the understanding of the concept and role of forest and CoC certification as an environmental, economic, and social tool. It aimed to determine expectations following from the implementation of CoC certification by companies and to identify difficulties in existing certified wood product supply chains and costs related to purchase and sales of certified forest products, respectively. Results indicate that respondents demonstrated a high level of understanding of the CoC concept and that they link forest certification mainly to the issues of legality, tracing the origin source of supply and promotion of sustainable utilisation of wood. The main expected benefits are linked to the improvement of an external company image followed by penetration of new markets and increase of sales volume. CoC is not considered a tool to improve internal company performance and efficiency. The key problems connected to certified supply chains relate to the sufficient quantity of certified forest products, low margins and overpriced certified material inputs. Respondents reported none or minimum price premiums for their certified products over non-certified alternatives. Several differences related to the understanding of the sustainable forest management concept and the level of price premium paid for certified inputs were identified between the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified companies as well as between the different forest products sectors.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Chain-of-Custody Certification in the Czech and Slovak Republic

et al. 2017

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“…Promotion of SFM through forest certification may partly depend on the extent of perception of a market-based incentive to supply certified products [27,28]. Many survey-based studies have evaluated the willingness to pay for certified wood products [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] and indicated a level of price premium that consumers were willing to pay for different wood products in specific market segments.…”

Section: Forest Certification and Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Sustainable Forest Management Certification in Slovakia: Forest Owners’ Perception of Expectations, Benefits and Problems

et al. 2018

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Forest certification as a voluntary verification tool has been providing an independent assessment of sustainable forestry practices and thus confidence in sustainability benchmarks for over 20 years. Using either the international or national approaches and initiatives, two main forest certification systems, PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), have spread in a number of countries worldwide. The specifics of local conditions in the forestry sector have to be taken into account when implementing the certification context in a given country or a region. Apart from the natural conditions, institutional structure, or legislative framework, it is also the local and national stakeholders and their perception of this issue that provides the background for the implementation of the certification criteria. The main objective of this study is to examine the general understanding of the certification concept as an environmental, economic, and social tool, and to determine the incentives of forest owners in Slovakia for sustainable forest management (SFM) certification. In addition, the benefits and problems arising from participation in certification were identified and differences reflecting the ownership structure of forests, size of forest area, and participation in a particular certification programme were analysed. Results indicate that certified forest owners, unlike non-certified, demonstrated a high level of understanding of the SFM certification concept. Certified entities mainly consider forest certification as their commitment to environmental responsibility and a tool for improving external company image, promoting sustainable utilisation of forest resources, and improving forest management practices. The main benefits are linked to the possibility to demonstrate forest management practices, a better understanding of the forest management concept, and improvement of forest management practices. PEFC users perceive more benefits following from certification; the most important are those associated with non-economic values, while FSC-certified forest owners perceive mainly economic benefits connected to market penetration, increased sales volume, and potential price premiums. The key problems associated with certification relate to duties to ensure compliance with certification criteria by contractors and administrative difficulties. Respondents reported minimum price premiums for the sale of their certified timber. Additionally, the findings of the study pointed out that a nationally developed certification system can better recognise the roles and objectives of forest certification in the context of forest policy.

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“…The utility of certification is that it is a reliable means to promote particular products, and ensure marketing claims for unobservable quality attributes (Jahn, Schramm, and Spiller 2005;Vertinsky and Zhou 2000). Other advantages of certification for the value chain include strengthened reputation (Owari et al 2006). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upgrading opportunities in agricultural value chains: Lessons from the analysis of the consumption of processed pineapple products in southern Benin

Aoudji

Avocèvou-Ayisso

Adégbidi

et al. 2017

African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Developm

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among 250 respondents randomly selected in five cities in southern Benin; and data were collected based on structured interviews. Dried pineapple, jam, syrup, juice, and cocktail were the processed pineapple products available on the market. Beverages, especially the juice, were the main processed pineapple products. The motivations driving the purchase of processed pineapple beverages by consumers were: competitive price and interest in local, natural and therapeutic beverages. The results indicate there is a margin for the value chain to upgrade products and services, and increase the price of pineapple-based products while staying competitive. A strong marketing and advertisement campaign is essential to support wider knowledge of processed pineapple products by consumers. Product traceability is a prerequisite for export in regional and international markets. This makes the certification of the value chain a critical issue. A joint action of value chain stakeholders is needed to exploit these opportunities.

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Strategies, functions and benefits of forest certification in wood products marketing: Perspectives of Finnish suppliers

Cited by 62 publications

References 4 publications

Assessment of Chain-of-Custody Certification in the Czech and Slovak Republic

Assessment of Chain-of-Custody Certification in the Czech and Slovak Republic

Understanding Sustainable Forest Management Certification in Slovakia: Forest Owners’ Perception of Expectations, Benefits and Problems

Upgrading opportunities in agricultural value chains: Lessons from the analysis of the consumption of processed pineapple products in southern Benin

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