International Sustainable Forestry Coalition

What International Sustainable Forestry Coalition does

The International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC) is a UK-registered company limited by guarantee, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Edinburgh, that operates as a membership-based industry coalition advancing sustainable forest management. Its Full Members comprise leading private forestry companies, timberland asset managers, and fiber-dependent businesses (including Stora Enso, Weyerhaeuser, Suzano, Oji Holdings, Sumitomo Forestry, Mercer, Nuveen, Climate Asset Management, The Rohatyn Group, and others), while Partner Members include service providers that enable Full Members' operations. Collectively, member companies steward more than 30 million hectares across 41 countries on all six forest-growing continents, giving ISFC unmatched representational reach within the private forestry sector.

ISFC's core output is the Forestry Natural Capital Project, a sector-wide initiative co-developed with the Capitals Coalition and TNFD to pilot harmonized natural capital accounting using the TNFD framework and the Natural Capital Protocol. The project defines seven priority ecosystem services for forestry, involves 18 leading companies representing over 23 million hectares in 38 countries, and targets a sector-wide natural capital report around COP31 in 2026. Complementary deliverables include an annual report, the Forest Sector Global Calendar, and ISO-aligned advocacy on forest carbon accounting standards. The organization participates in global convenings (Tokyo, Helsinki, Sao Paulo) and policy forums (COP, London Climate Week) to advocate for sustainable forestry in carbon markets (Article 6.4), timber in construction, and the circular bioeconomy transition.

ISFC is funded entirely through recurring membership fees paid by Full and Partner Members; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Governance is exercised through a Board composed of member-company representatives, with each Full Member entitled to nominate one Director. The Chair is Hiroyuki Isono (since November 2025, succeeding founder David Brand), with regional Vice-Chairs drawn from Oji Holdings, Stora Enso, Weyerhaeuser, and Suzano. The organization operates with 1-10 staff and pursues a community-led go-to-market motion, growing its network through direct outreach, global meetings, research publication, and policy advocacy rather than through commercial product sales.

Name

International Sustainable Forestry Coalition

Legal name

International Sustainable Forestry Coalition

Website

https://is-fc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISFC is a UK-registered non-profit coalition of leading private forestry companies and timberland asset managers, representing more than 30 million hectares across 41 countries. It advances sustainable forest management through policy advocacy, standards development, and the Forestry Natural Capital Project co-developed with Capitals Coalition and TNFD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Advocacy and Industry Coalition Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Forestry (800), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Sustainable Forest Certification & Chain-of-Custody Services (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (IMAMAJAJ), Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable forestry advocacy
• Natural capital accounting
• Forestry industry coalition
• Circular bioeconomy
• Forest management standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ISFC operates as a membership-based organization with Full Members (companies owning, managing, investing in, or sourcing from forests) and Partner Members (companies enabling Full Members). Membership fees fund the coalition's operations, policy advocacy, and the Forestry Natural Capital Project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC) is a membership-based industry coalition that convenes leading private forestry companies to advance sustainable forest management. Members join as Full Members (forest owners, managers, investors, or timber/fiber businesses) or Partner Members (companies enabling Full Members), receiving benefits including representation in policy advocacy, participation in the Forestry Natural Capital Project, and access to harmonized natural capital accounting frameworks aligned with TNFD and the Natural Capital Protocol.

Product overview

ISFC is an international organization bringing together leading private forestry companies to advance sustainable forest management. The core offerings include The Forestry Natural Capital Project, which develops harmonized natural capital accounting approaches for the sector, along with annual reports and a global sector calendar. The organization focuses on advocacy, policy influence, standards development, and frameworks to strengthen the economic, societal, and environmental value of forests and forest products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Forestry Natural Capital Project A sector-wide initiative to develop harmonized natural capital accounts for the forestry sector, enabling consistent measurement, valuation, and disclosure of ecosystem services using TNFD and Natural Capital Protocol frameworks. It involves 18 leading forestry companies representing over 23 million hectares in 38 countries, with a planned sector-wide natural capital report around COP31 in 2026.
• ISFC Annual Report Annual publication providing updates on ISFC's activities, strategic progress, and member contributions to sustainable forestry and the circular bioeconomy.
• Global Sector Calendar Annual calendar of global forestry sector events and conferences, providing a consolidated view of important industry gatherings throughout the year.

Quantifiable outcome

• Harmonized natural capital accounts for the forestry sector planned by end of 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Capitals CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2025Co-developed the Forestry Natural Capital Project to pilot test natural capital accounting using the Natural Capital Protocol framework. Launched world-first sector-wide project to measure, value, and disclose natural assets in the forestry sector.
• TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2025Partnered with TNFD to develop consistent approach for measuring, valuing, and disclosing natural assets using TNFD framework. Key milestone: sector-wide natural capital report planned around COP31 in 2026.
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization)minorOthersWelcomed new ISO standard to assist the world meet robust, science-based accounting standards for forest carbon.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Capitals Coalition: Capitals Coalition is a core strategic partner co-developing the Forestry Natural Capital Project with ISFC. It convenes organizations around the Natural Capital Protocol and is highly comparable as a coalition advancing nature-valuation frameworks across sectors.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): FSC is the leading global forest certification and standard-setting body. ISFC overlaps on advancing sustainable forestry through voluntary standards and member-driven governance, though ISFC focuses on corporate advocacy and natural capital accounting rather than certification.
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): WBCSD is a CEO-led membership coalition of sustainable businesses that convenes industry leaders to set standards and influence policy. ISFC mirrors WBCSD's model but is sector-specific to forestry, making it the closest analogue in coalition structure and advocacy approach.
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC): PEFC is an umbrella certification system for sustainable forest management. Like ISFC, it convenes national forestry stakeholders and works on standards, but PEFC's primary product is certification rather than policy advocacy and natural capital disclosure.
• Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD): TNFD is the leading nature-disclosure framework adopted by corporates and financial institutions. ISFC is a TNFD partner piloting sector-specific application; TNFD's stakeholder convening and framework-development role is structurally analogous to ISFC's forestry-focused work.
• International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA): ICFPA is the global umbrella of national forest and paper industry associations, focused on sustainability advocacy and policy representation. It overlaps with ISFC on industry representation in international policy forums but skews association-of-associations rather than corporate-direct.

Regional players

• European Forest Institute (EFI): EFI is a European intergovernmental research organization providing forest policy and science support. It is comparable to ISFC's policy-influence model but with a regional (European) mandate and a research focus rather than corporate-membership advocacy.

Emerging players

• Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA): TFA is a multi-stakeholder partnership hosted by the World Economic Forum focused on ending deforestation in commodity supply chains. It shares ISFC's convening-plus-advocacy model but is geographically narrower (tropical) and supply-chain focused rather than forest management.

Broad incumbents

• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): GRI is the dominant global sustainability reporting standards body. ISFC complements GRI's general reporting framework with sector-specific natural capital accounting in forestry — analogous to how industry coalitions interact with broader standard setters.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a major global research organization working on forests, climate, and sustainability issues. While research-led rather than industry-membership, it sets influential forestry frameworks and policies with which ISFC must engage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Sustainable Forestry Coalition