A bench in El Prat de Llobregat using FSC certified wood.

Prat de Llobregat using FSC certified wood

Prat de Llobregat (Spain) is a leader in Spain in the use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood for its street furniture.

The city has a sustainable development policy, spearheaded by its membership in the ‘Sustainable Cities and Towns Network’ and the implementation of Local Agenda 21 (please visit www.iclei.org/la21 for more information).

When the city held a selection process among its suppliers for street furniture, it tied into the city’s sustainable development policy by making one of the requirements be the use of FSC certified wood.

To date, 100 FSC certified wood benches have been installed.

In many forests around the world, logging still contributes to habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples, and violence against people who work in the forest and the wildlife that dwells there. Many consumers of wood and paper, and many forest products companies believe that the link between logging and these negative impacts can be broken, and that forests can be managed and protected at the same time. Forest Stewardship Council certification is one way to improve the practice of forestry.

Prat de Llobregat is one of 166 local governments in Europe that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Europe, please visit www.iclei.org/europe.

Source: “Local Authorities and FSC in Spain”, World Wildlife Fund 2006 Fact Sheet.