More than two-thirds of countries on Earth are at high risk for corruption, according to the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index, one of the indicators used by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification to assess the likelihood that wood products from a country are illegal.
More than two-thirds of countries on Earth are at high risk for corruption, according to the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index, one of the indicators used by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification to assess the likelihood that wood products from a country are illegal.
The CPI ranks countries from 0–100 based on citizens’ perceptions of corruption, with the left side of the scale meaning highly corrupt and the right side meaning “very clean.” The global score is 43, indicating "endemic corruption" in the public sector, according to the CPI.
Key timber-exporting countries that moved from low risk in 2015 to high risk in 2016 include Malaysia, with a score of 49; Hungary, 48; and Croatia, 49.
Companies that source wood products from high-risk countries will need to do due diligence to ensure the products are legal, according to NEPcon, a global non-profit organization focused on sustainability.
