MOO’s Head of Sustainability explains FSC® certification

Since 2024, we’ve had several major milestones on our sustainability journey here at MOO. And the latest is helping us support sustainable forestry: we received our Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification (FSC-C214359). 

We sat down with our Head of Sustainability, Luke Landers, to better understand what it means to be FSC® certified. 

Keep reading to find out how MOO can help you make better choices and create products that align with your own values.

What is FSC® certification?

The Forest Stewardship Council® is a certification body that brings people, businesses, governments, and NGOs together to protect healthy, resilient forests. 

To do this, they certify forests to ensure their environments are responsibly managed and meet the highest environmental and social standards. That means any trees that are harvested are replanted or left to regenerate naturally, and the overall management of that forest respects both the wildlife and the people who live in it.

For a product to be certified by the FSC®, it means the company making it is committed to those responsible forestry practices that preserve biodiversity, uphold workers’ rights, and respect forest communities.

“FSC® certification demonstrates our commitment to sourcing materials from responsibly managed forests, with full traceability, from the forest all the way to the final product,” says Luke. 

Why is having FSC® certification so important?

Consumers are savvier than ever, especially when it comes to environmental impact. They understand the important role forests play in the fight against climate change. And, they’re often looking for brands that are transparent about their supply chains, and create products that don’t take a toll on the planet.

“MOO has been considerate of where and how we source our raw materials for several years, often selecting materials that were FSC® certified,” explains Luke. “Trusting our supply chain felt as important as the quality, look and feel of the final product. With that all in mind, getting certified felt like the natural next step.”

What does having FSC® certification mean for MOO?

FSC® is widely recognized as the gold standard in responsible forest management. Having the certification not only reflects our commitment to sustainable sourcing, but it also showcases the high standards our teams work to every day.

“I’m always driven by projects that will make a positive difference; this feels even sweeter as we’ve been independently audited,” says Luke. “Someone else has come around and verified the efforts we’ve put into certification.”

How will our customers know which of our products are FSC® certified?

Every FSC® certified product on MOO.com will be tagged on our website, and we’ll be adding more and more throughout the year. Initially, you’ll find the tag on our Stickers, followed by several of our print products. 

What’s the biggest misconception about FSC® certification?

“The biggest misconception following certification is that once we get that certification, we can relax,” says Luke. “Although we’ve proven we can meet the strict requirements, we need to keep up the hard work and ensure we continue to do so.”

A big part of keeping up is not only expanding our range of FSC® certified products, but also continuing to buy certified materials from approved suppliers, maintaining our processes, and clearly communicating any claims.

What’s your advice for another brand applying for FSC® certification?

“Don’t underestimate how cross-functional obtaining certification will be,” explains Luke. “I don’t think there’s a team at MOO who haven’t been impacted in the certification process. There’s so many touchpoints right from the obvious departments like Operations and Supply Chain through to our People and Tech teams.” 

What’s next on MOO’s sustainability journey?

We’re as focused as ever on doing the work every day to lessen our impact on the planet. So, as we maintain our FSC® certification, we’re focused on several other things here at MOO.

“Away from FSC®, my attention remains solidly on delivering our sustainability manifesto,” says Luke. “I will be delving deeper to understand our carbon impacts so that we can set some stretching reduction targets. Then, towards the end of the year, we’ll be releasing an update on our sustainability journey that will showcase our future trajectory.”

Watch this space for those updates, and wherever you are on your own sustainability journey, we’d love to help you out. Fill in our form below and we’ll be in touch.