ABSTRACT
This chapter explores forest certification, which can be defined as a non-state market driven (NSMD) governance system that is dependent on choices made by customers of forest products. It analyses the institutional development of forest certification as a tool for improving the condition of the world's forests, and examines the difficulties and obstacles in legitimizing NSMD political consumerism in the marketplace. A European Secretariat, which is dominated by landowner and industry representatives, decides whether to accept national initiatives as part of the Pan European Forest Certification (PEFC) recognition scheme. The forest stewardship certification (FSC) was created in 1993 and was legally registered in 1994. The emergence of NSMD and legitimacy, it is granted, varies according to the region being studied, the organizations granting legitimacy, and the nature of the competition between the FSC and its competitor programs. General patterns emerge from these complex dynamics that address legitimacy granting and the durability of NSMD institutions.
