Economic And Social Benefits In FSC Certified Companies Located In Brazil

Among the largest and most recognized forest certifications, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) deserves spe- cial mention. Its objective is to certify forest-origin products that come from socially fair, environmentally ade- quate, and economically viable management. This study aimed to investigate whether the duration of certification and the organizational size influence the perception of economic and social benefits of FSC Certification from the perspective of managers of Brazilian companies holding this seal. To achieve this objective, a quantitative survey was conducted with 54 Brazilian companies. Regarding the economic and social dimensions of sustaina- bility, the "Certification Time" appears to influence the perception of FSC benefits, as indicated by p-values lower than 0.05 in the Kruskal-Wallis test. Furthermore, Dunn's test revealed that companies with a longer certification period, on average 10 years, perceive more benefits. Based on the presented results, it can be concluded that the "Certification Time" can influence the perceptions of economic and social benefits of FSC Certification, while the organizational size did not demonstrate significant influence on the generation of benefits. One of the main con- tributions of this study, both in academia and for organizations in the agroforestry sector, is providing insights to support the design of actions and strategies aimed at rapidly enhancing the benefits of FSC Certification and encouraging companies to adopt it.