Case Study: Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council: Certifying responsible forests and supply chains worldwide

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) brings 30 years of experience and a balanced, democratic, multi-stakeholder governance model with equal chamber voting to set the most rigorous standards on deforestation, biodiversity and human rights. Globally recognised as a leading system for responsible forestry, FSC protects forests and communities through an independent three-layer assurance system that certifies forest management, supply chains, restoration, ecosystem services and other non-timber outcomes – making it a preferred choice of major global brands and NGOs.

As sustainability expectations across consumers and businesses rise, FSC continues to innovate to deliver reliable, meaningful data on supply chains and forest impacts. FSC verified impact reporting enables credible claims about how forest management contributes to carbon removal and carbon storage, biodiversity outcomes and community livelihoods. To remain relevant and resilient in changing landscapes, FSC prioritises greater transparency, interoperability and security across its standards and assurance, strengthening responsible sourcing from forest to final product.

The challenge: Cracking the FSC Verified Impact Challenge: A Secure, Scalable Path to a Single Source of Truth

Amid rising disclosure requirements and expectations for real-world outcomes, FSC verified impact enables companies to meet mandatory or voluntary non-financial sustainability reporting with credible, auditable data aligned to stakeholder and regulatory needs. It provides clear evidence of within value chain mitigation (or abatement) by attributing measurable results to responsible sourcing and certified forest management. Beyond compliance, it enhances business operations by informing procurement, risk management and product claims, while enabling beyond-value-chain contributions that restore and protect forests across the world – building trust and delivering tangible benefits for people and nature.

However, realising these benefits at scale is challenging: FSC’s verified impact verification process currently operates across fragmented workflows and inconsistent data models, creating inefficiencies and process risk across the full ecosystem services management lifecycle. Public forestry organisations, certifiers and licence holders working collaboratively currently manage verified impact reporting via legacy tools and file share systems, severely impeding ecosystem services reporting. FSC needed an integrated and scalable approach to unify how verified impact reports are stored, managed and secured, and how all related proprietary rights materials stay under its control.

FSC also needed a robust, scalable solution that served as a single source of truth for verified impact reports while enabling data flow from digital transformation work done into FSC’s global operations. This transformative work formed part of a wider organisational drive to embed digital-first operations and improve stakeholder value worldwide.

Centralized Ecosystem Services – Standardized, Transparent, Secure with PwC

To achieve this vision, FSC partnered with PwC. PwC assembled a global team spanning Germany, Poland and India to develop a secure, multi-regional platform that could standardize data architecture, create integrity across workflows and improve its value.

Creating a unified data foundation

At the heart of the solution was Microsoft Data Fabric, which provided a governed, role-based data architecture with built-in lineage and security controls. This ensured consistent analytics across regions while maintaining transparency and compliance. By establishing a single source of truth, FSC could eliminate data silos and deliver reliable insights to stakeholders.

Building intuitive, automated workflows

PwC leveraged Microsoft Power Platform to create highly intuitive front-end interfaces and automate critical processes. Architecture workshops across regions defined user journeys and validated requirements for maximum relevance. New automated workflows streamline approvals, content management and integrations. In line with FSC’s goal of end-to-end value reporting, verified impact partners are supported in real time.

The Result: A scalable platform driving global impact

The collaboration between FSC and PwC delivered a transformative outcome: a centralised Ecosystem Services Registry that is secure, transparent, and future-ready. FSC can now publish verification reports faster, providing consumers and the wider value chain consistent impact across regions and programs.

Robust analytics capabilities enable stakeholders to track verified impacts with confidence, while automated workflows reduce administrative burdens and accelerate reporting cycles.

By preserving FSC’s intellectual property rights and establishing strong governance controls, the solution safeguards sensitive data and promotes innovation. Moreover, the platform establishes a foundation for future integrations with payment systems, GIS tools, and other FSC applications – ensuring long-term scalability and adaptability.

To run solution delivery effectively, a lightweight PMO was established and a governance cadence instituted to align stakeholders around a fast-tracked plan. Risks, dependencies, and scope were managed through disciplined RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies) and change control, with sprint-based delivery and milestone tracking applied to drive execution. The project was fast-tracked to meet FSC’s ambitious timeline, culminating in a successful go-live supported by structured onboarding and hyper-care. The accelerated timeline also paved the way as PwC to leverage advanced data capabilities for broader organisational needs.