Forico’s Sustainability Manager Simon Cook has always been passionate about sustainable forest management. In the early 1990s, during his undergraduate studies in Forestry Management at Aberdeen University, he distinctly recalls a lecturer introducing the concept of global certification standards. In 1994, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was founded as a voluntary certification for sustainable forestry,
Thirty years later in May this year, Simon was elected to the Board of the Forest Stewardship Council Australian and New Zealand (FSC ANZ), where he now represents the Economic Chamber.
Over the decades, Simon has built a distinguished career promoting sustainability and robust certification in forest management across both hemispheres. In his current position at Forico, Simon has played a key role in ensuring Forico’s plantation estate and natural forest areas are managed with a focus on sustainable stewardship. He has been instrumental in driving the development of the company’s award-winning Natural Capital Reports and its Reconciliation Action Plan.
More recently, Simon served as a member of the FSC ANZ’s Standards Development Group, helping to ensure the Standard meets contemporary requirements and remains relevant and accurate in response to global developments in climate, forest and supply chain management.
“Simon brings extensive forestry experience and a strong commitment to responsible practice,” said Melanie Robertson, CEO of FSC ANZ. “He played a leading role in Forico’s delivery of Australia’s first Natural Capital Report and in Forico becoming the first FSC-certified organisation in Australia to implement the FSC Ecosystem Services Procedure, demonstrating positive outcomes in biodiversity conservation. He also contributed significantly to our Standards Development Group, helping shape the first draft of the revised Forest Stewardship Standard for Australia. We’ve greatly valued his insights and are excited to welcome his leadership and perspective on the Board.”
On his recent appointment to the FSC ANZ Board, Simon reflected that “Certification is critical for businesses pursuing the gold standard for sustainable forestry in Australia and New Zealand. With challenges like climate change and nature loss, which are offset by emerging opportunities in carbon markets and biodiversity credits, it's more important than ever to ensure that our certification systems remain robust, credible and evolve with time. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to governance and best practice for our industry at FSC ANZ during such an exciting time.”