FSC-UK recently commissioned a survey to establish the
level of public awareness of FSC. The survey, carried out
by GfK NOP, found that only one person in five (19%) has
seen the Forest Stewardship Council's tick-tree logo.
Although many of those questioned had a general idea of
the meaning of the logo, some had very different
suggestions, including a campaign to stop smoking in
forests!
However, it is encouraging that, once the scheme was
explained, over half of those questioned stated that they
would probably, or definitely choose FSC products in the
future (54%). Of the 7% that would probably, or definitely
not choose FSC products in the future, more than half
(56%) didn't know why or stated that they did not buy
wood products.
The research showed that of those who had seen the logo
before, the majority (85%) had shopped in B&Q,
Homebase or Focus in the previous 12 months. These DIY stores stock a range of FSC timber products and it is
not surprising that this has an impact on consumer
recognition. As an increasing array of products gain FSC
certification, and the logo becomes more widespread in a
variety of shops, different sectors of society will inevitably
come across it.
Public awareness is obviously a key factor in the success
of the FSC mission to promote the responsible management
of forests worldwide. The research, which was part
funded by DEFRA - the UK governmental Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - shows that there is
a lot of work to be done in the UK. FSC-UK will be
working with retailers to promote FSC products and a follow-
up survey will be commissioned in early 2008 to
measure the impact of this work.FSC News + Notes
