A group of timber users, traders and representatives of environmental and human-rights organizations met in California (USA) in 1990 to discuss how they could combine their interests to improve global forest management. Their meeting confirmed the need for an honest and credible system for identifying well-managed forests as acceptable sources of forest products. It was from these beginnings that the Forest Stewardship Council developed.

In September 1993 in Toronto (Canada), 130 representatives from around the world came together to hold the Founding Assembly of the Forest Stewardship Council. In October 1993 an agreement was reached to launch FSC, and by August 1994 a definitive set of Principles and Criteria, together with the Statutes for the Council were agreed and approved by the votes of the Founding Members.

FSC has attracted participation from a wide range of social, community and indigenous peoples groups as well as responsible corporations, development aid agencies and other public organizations.

FSC members include environmental organizations such as WWF, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as well as responsible companies such as IKEA, Home Depot, B&Q and OBI.

FSC has the support of a large and growing number of companies, who have united themselves in various countries into 'buyers groups'. The members of such buyers groups have committed themselves to selling only independently certified timber and timber products within three to five years. The FSC-labeling scheme is the preferred scheme for buyers groups in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Brazil, USA and Japan.

This unprecedented alliance of major companies, NGOs and a host of other supporters around the world has resulted in dialogue and answers to previously unresolvable forest managment challenges and has changed forest management practices worldwide.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that brings people together to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world’s forests.

• FSC is a stakeholder owned system for promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.
  
  
• Through consultative processes, it sets international standards for responsible forest management.
  
  
• It accredits independent third party organizations who can certify forest managers and forest product producers to FSC standards.
  
  
• Its trademark provides international recognition to organizations who support the growth of responsible forest management.
  
  
• Its product label allows consumers worldwide to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
  
  
• FSC undertakes marketing programs and information services that contribute to the mission of promoting responsible forestry worldwide.
  
  
• Over the past 13 years, over 90 million hectares in more than 70 countries have been certified according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC-certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 45 countries.