Institutional consumer preferences for Forest Stewardship Council certified paper

Abstract: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies forests that have been grown in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. It attempts to increase market share for certified paper via a Business Development Plan (BDP). This thesis provides analysis of the FSCs marketing using a survey and case study approach. The survey of institutional paper buyers reveals trends that suggest that the market for FSC and other certified papers is gaining popularity with institutional buyers, even though final consumers remain price sensitive. Components of institutional behavior that might cause an organization to adopt FSC are analyzed. This analysis reveals that adoption is more likely if it is important to an institution’s stakeholders and if reputation can be increased, even given increased costs. However, much of the growth in market share of FSC remains unexplained by the BDP. Hence the market for FSC and certified paper may be expanding independent of FSC and BDP.