The first sustainable reforestation standard has been registered in Russia

Rosstandart has registered the first standard in Russia for sustainable forest restoration projects - "Green Initiative". It was developed by the eco-service "Save the Forest". This regulation sets criteria for planting forests taking into account the species composition, geographic marking and subsequent verification of the results.

Companies that voluntarily invest in forest restoration projects can receive a certificate under the "Green Initiative" standard. Mandatory compensatory plantings are not included in this list in order to emphasize the importance of corporate responsibility and environmental values.

The standard provides for three levels of compliance: basic, gold and platinum - depending on the scale of the project. The work must be carried out in specially protected areas or in places where the safety of forest plantations is guaranteed.

Projects completed no more than three years ago are accepted for certification, but the right to use the conformity mark lasts only one year to encourage companies to regularly engage in reforestation activities.

In 2024, partners of the Save the Forest service initiated 18 projects, 15 of which preliminarily comply with the new standard. This approach will help to highlight high-quality initiatives and generate statistics on conscious environmental business practices.