Thursday, 29 May 2014
Online Claims Platform Update
May 29, 2014
The FSC Online Claims Platform (OCP) has begun its public testing phase, with more than 150 organizations currently taking part. FSC International thanks all of the businesses that are participating in the test for their feedback and suggestions.
While the OCP was developed to promote supply chain integrity in the FSC system, stakeholders have raised concerns about the platform. With that input, FSC International is evaluating the following considerations:
- Reducing administrative burdens – Some certificate holders have expressed concern about additional administrative burden, beyond what is already required by Chain-of-Custody certification. The OCP team at FSC International is exploring ways to increase supply chain integrity and ease administrative burden at the same time.
- Exploring options for a voluntary OCP – Based on concerns expressed by stakeholder, FSC International is exploring ways to make the OCP system voluntary and/or required based on risk.
Reaching out to stakeholders
FSC has expanded our consultation process, during which we will be reaching out to diverse stakeholder groups to gain a deeper understanding of concerns and identify possible solutions. The FSC International Board of directors mandated this process.
The first in a series of meetings was held on April 8th with a group of industry representatives from Europe and North America. The group agreed that it is possible for inaccurate claims about trades between FSC certified companies to enter the system, and that this situation needs a solution. There was also general agreement that the OCP could be a possible solution to do so, however, significant issues still need to be resolved. The group will work together to find solutions to these problem areas.
During the coming months, FSC will expand this consultation to include economic, social and environmental interests to ensure the full range of opinions are heard. We look forward to having a constructive dialogue with our stakeholders about the options that lie ahead.