1. Corporate Social Responsibility 22.02. 2016
Adoption of forest certification in Byelorussia and Russia: comparative analysis
Corporate Social Responsibility

2. New rules of the game: principles and criteria of forest certification
Driven by non-state actors
Uses forces of the market and economic stimulus
10 principles, 56 criteria
Some roles do not contradict with national legislation and are implemented, others do not contradict, but are not implemented, others contradict

3. Why it is interesting to compare FSC in Russia and Byelorussia
In Russia: Soviet system of forest management destroyed and reformed, market economics, many international and national NGOs, institutional turbulence
In Byelorussia the Soviet system of forest governance was partly preserved, partly reinforced (Soviet type state agencies and their subordination, Young Communists, Pioneers, forest society), only World Bird Union, no other international NGOs, lack of institutional turbulence. Declared planned and socially oriented economy
On the local level civil society institutions are similarly developed in Russia and Byelorussia (houses of culture, school forest management units, veteran organizations)
Why Byelorussia needs non-state, NGO and market driven governance?

4. Interpretation of FSC requirements
In Russia creates arenas of negotiation between stakeholders: virgin forests (old growth, how to preserve biodiversity, who are indigenous people, what kind of rights have local population– create consensual value of the product.
Contradictions between the Forest Code of 2006 and FSC requirements are not fully resolved, although national standards are consistent with the FSC
In Byelorussia – no arenas, long process of understanding of new requirements, new requirements are adopted by the governments, come down to the ground through national standards

5. Difference in organizational infrastructure
In Byelorussia– old organizational infrastructure of the former Soviet Union, path dependent, evolved along the Lukashenko regime
In Russia- organizational infrastructure is broken by market economy and reforms, although lingering effects exist

6. Organizational infrastructure for forest certification
Russia
Agents
FSC office, national initiative, regional working groups
Projects: WWF-IKEA
Models
Foundations, grants
National standards accredited
Transnational NGO networks (WWF, Greenpeace, et.)
Certification centers
Consultants and experts
Certification bodies
Byelorussia
Non

7. State Forest Agencies Russia Rosleskhoz Regional representatives
Lisnichestva- former forest management units (Leskhozes)—controlling leasers
Byelorussia
Ministry of Forestry– FSC certificate holder
Regional Forest management bodies-6
Leskhozes-96– forest management logging, non-wood resource business, land maintainer, recreational sites maintainer
Lestnichestva-834
President’s ideological agency, ideologists at any organization, ideologists work with public

8. Business Russia Market economics
Holdings and their units are FSC certificate holders
Small logging enterprises die out
Byelorussia
Planned socially oriented economy declared
Bumprom- State holding—no interest toward certification –supply wood to Russia
Lespromchozi (post Soviet logging companies) are part of Bumprom
85% of wood comes to Bumprom through the stock. 15% goes to social needs of local people in the villages

9. Civil society organizations involved in forest certification
Russia
International NGOs (WWF, Greenpeace, etc)
Scientists
International Bird Union
Forest clubs
Regional NGOs
Active people in libraries, schools, clubs
Soviet: All Russia Society for Nature protection, nature protection core, school forestry units, society of hunters and fishers
Byelorussia
Dissidents- protect Byelovezha
International Bird Union
Soviet:
Byelorussian Young Communist (14-31 год)-22% of all youth are members, nature protection cores,
Units in all leskhozes
All Byelorussia Society for Nature Protection, Byelorussian society of hunters and fishers
Pioneers and school forest management units
Active people in libraries, schools, clubs—conduct Soviet type of actions
Ideological workers introduced by Lukoshenko

10. Agents of institutional change
Holdings
experts, NGOs
Certification bodies
Ministry of forestry creates the command and control channel that is filtering concepts and discourses
Certification bodies take the role of consultants
New roles are introduced into the legislative system
Ideologists help to implement social standards

15. Карта аренды должна быть доступна для местного населения

17. Индивидуальная консультация с местным краеведом, Паданы, территория аренды Сегежского ЦБК. Фото М. Тысячнюк

18. Общественные слушания по плану рубок и выделению социальных ЛВПЦ, с
Общественные слушания по плану рубок и выделению социальных ЛВПЦ, с.Вешкелица, территория аренды Запкареллес, Фото М. Тысячнюк

19. Территория аренды Запкареллес: Кладбище вблизи деревни Хаутаваара находится в водоохранной зоне, является метом социальной значимости для жителей деревни и граждан Финляндии, которые ранее владели домами в этой деревне. Фото М. Тысячнюк

20. Conclusion
In Russia- 3 types of institutionalization of the FSC a) coercive-NGOs, b) normative pressure NGOs, c) Mimetic inside the holding, between holdings
In Byelorussia- only coercive institutionalization through legislation