Sustainability Eco Label

You may have heard the phrase sustainable, it can be applied to just about any process that you care to think of, the Government talk about sustainable development all the time but what is it?

The FSC label (Forestry Stewardship Council) is an example of a green label that is hinged on sustainability. The FSC tries to ensure that all of the wood that carries its logo comes from woodland that will be replaced again after harvesting and grown back to the same standard. An example of non-sustainable wood might be wood that comes from untouched rainforest, the trees are felled and then the cleared are is used for grazing cows, this is unsustainable because you are not replacing what you use. Image: Giles Douglas [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The RSPO (Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil) play an important role in the protection of rain forests, why? Palm Oil is in 10% of products you buy, it is an edible oil. There has been bad practice over past decades where rain forests in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur have been cleared to grow palm oil. When you buy RSPO certified foods, it is an indication that the palm oil in them comes from sustainable sources. ie not grown on recently cleared rainforest. More on RSPO Palm Oil in the News

The Alaska salmon fishery, a model for sustainable management practices since statehood in 1959, was one of the first fisheries to enter the MSC programme, as a way to demonstrate its sustainability to global markets through independent verification. In 2007, the fishery, through the continued leadership and efforts of ADF&G, successfully completed its second five-year certification to the MSC standard. As one of the pioneering fisheries in the MSC programme, ADF&G has been a key partner and has played an important role as the MSC programme has evolved and improved the consistency and quality of the criteria and guidelines by which a fishery’s sustainability is measured against the MSC standard. According to Bedford: “MSC recommendations for increased research into hatchery /wild salmon interactions in Prince William Sound and southeast Alaska have been beneficial to the agency in moving this work up the priority list.”However, it has not all been smooth sailing. Bedford points out how “ADF&G has shared some of the growing pains of the [MSC] programme.” An experience Bedford acknowledges as probably being “somewhat technique among MSC clients due to our relatively long history with the programme,” as well as the complexity and size of the fishery. ADF&G’s work with MSC has paid off for the Alaska seafood economy. Wild Alaska salmon products, popular worldwide, currently include nearly 900 MSC labelled products in more than 30 countries.

J.M. Olson [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons