Amidst a growing movement toward sustainable finance, an FSC General Assembly side event explored this crucial theme – discussing motivations and potential to accelerate sustainable forest management and build traceable, responsible value chains.
Aurélien Sautière, Executive Director of FSC France, introduced the discussion by emphasizing that FSC certification should be seen not as a cost but as an investment. Three sustainable finance models were presented, showing how FSC and partners are seeking to scale sustainable forest management by catalyzing private investment.
Mirova, a French impact investment firm, has launched the Mirova Sustainable Land Use that aims to mobilize €350 million investment into sustainable agriculture and forestry, – requiring FSC certification for all forest-based businesses in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
International Woodland Company (IWC), based in Denmark, announced a €500 million commitment – the BNP Future Forest Fund – to invest in certified sustainable forestry assets across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
CNP Assurances, France’s largest private forest owner, has pledged that 100% of its forests will be FSC certified by 2030 – integrating certification into its long-term investment strategy and climate resilience planning.
Why investors choose FSC
A roundtable discussion included Alain Karsenty (Centre for International Agricultural Research for Development - CIRAD), Gautier Quéru (Mirova), Rosana Techima (CNP Assurances), Wesly Snell (International Woodland Company), and Michele Gonzalez-Mendia (FSC Investments & Partnerships) – representing the insurance sector, an impact investor, a corporate investor, and FSC.
According to Wesly Snell, FSC adds value to IWC’s work by helping prepare for disclosures and reducing risk for clients. “We believe in the promise of FSC and try to bring this to our investors.” He highlighted Verified Impact as a useful tool to access markets and diversify revenue.
Rosana Techima of CNP Assurances discussed work with communities in Brazil and highlighted how certification enhances asset value: “Forests are strategic assets, and FSC certification allows us to valorize this asset, guaranteeing its sustainability.
Gautier Quéru of Mirova underscored the importance of FSC for integrity, transparency, and policy alignment. On the topic of risk, he added: “All environmental risks become financial risks at some point.”
Working together for impact
Speakers also reflected on FSC’s evolving role as a bridge between financial institutions and on-the-ground impact. Wesly expressed that FSC needs to recognize the much broader system of regulations, frameworks, and standards aiming toward the same sustainable development goals – focusing on interoperability and outcome orientation.
Alain Karsenty from CIRAD said that while innovative finance instruments such as green bonds and nature credits can mobilize capital, they cannot replace strong public policy frameworks at the national level.
“FSC has the right convening power to facilitate the players that do not often talk to each other – the producers and the operators, the buyers, and the investors – it is about connecting the three and FSC is right in the middle,” said Gautier.
Michele Gonzalez-Mendia presented how FSC’s Investments & Partnerships unit works at the systems level – engaging with organizations like the EU, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank to help investors integrate FSC certification and Verified Impact tools into their portfolios.
“We are all part of a deeply interconnected system, where natural ecosystems, financial systems, and sustainable development must co-exist and support one another” - Michele said.
Challenges and opportunities ahead
Audience questions focused on how investors manage natural disturbances such as fires and floods, the potential for FSC to align with other sustainability standards, and how to ensure global finance reaches local forest communities. Panelists explained that these risks are increasingly built into due diligence and insurance, and that diversification helps protect asset value.
In closing, FSC Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee emphasized that forests are investable assets essential to climate resilience. She noted that FSC’s Verified Impact and Ecosystem Services Registry can bridge investors and credible projects, and called for rewarding responsible forest management practices, because the benefits for people and forests will come.