Our motto: Making sustainability your business

About this service

There is a growing demand worldwide for natural resource-based products that are benign to people and the environment. Yet, many sustainable products fail to reach these markets, where customers are willing to pay a higher price in return for sustainability. This is true especially in natural resource rich development countries. Most customers in those countries are unaware of sustainability standards or unable to pay for them. And producers often have no means of accessing international markets. The danger is imminent; sustainable businesses around the world are failing due to lack of market access.

For who?

Natural resource-based producers willing to work for a more just and cleaner world often need help with market access. Their costs for compliance with sustainability are usually higher and without access to the right markets their business cannot survive.

Our approach

FSG's unique certification-market service
FSG has a long track-record in helping natural resource-based producers with linkages to markets. For that we have combined this service with our certification service . Certification will make your business more sustainable and your products desirable on international markets. Once certified, we will help you with the actual linkages to these markets. Given our mission, this service is offered only to producers who are certified or who choose to be so.

Our services: Supply chain development

FSG has an integral view on the supply chain, with its services oriented at the entire supply chain, from the field to the market. In an ever changing context, in terms of e.g. customer preferences, available technologies and government policies, at all times systems need to be in place to ensure that resource management, product processing and market approach are always well aligned. In fact, Sustainable Chain development is an essential element in most of our projects. We believe that without it, there is no long-term financial profit to be gained by stakeholders in the supply chain, and thus no incentives would exist for adopting and maintaining sustainable practices. Hence our motto: making sustainability your business!

For natural resource owners, managers and businesses, we analyze the overall performance of the supply chain. In consultation with the customer, we will then prepare a tailored service package, that could include any or several of the following described sub-services:

(Sector) Export Marketing Plans (SEMP)

We help you with drafting plans for successful sales and marketing of your certified products.

Market studies

For companies and organizations we conduct studies on potential for selling on local, regional and international markets

EU MAR advise & preparation

We advise companies on Market Access Requirements (MAR) for the European Union. We also help them make the necessary preparations.

Policy and regulatory support

FSG offers assistance to producers in making sense of the growing complexity of laws and regulations regarding natural resource management. We also provide business advise based on international policies such as those regarding climate change and FLEGT.

Business to Business (B2B) linking

FSG manages an extensive database of international importers of natural resource-based products. We bring you into contact with them.

Company audits

We make full assessments of how businesses perform currently and advise on how they can improve.

FLEGT implementation

FSG advises governments in developing countries on how to comply with Forest Law Enforcement and Trade (FLEGT) issues. This to give local companies and governments better access to EU markets.

Business improvement

FSG advises and assist companies in reaching a desired Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) level, maximum process efficiency and business excellence and the development of business and investment plans. FSG also advises on technical operations etc (sawmill and forest machinery).