FSC International & Partnerships and European forest investment manager CapMan Natural Capital have announced a strategic collaboration to apply FSC Verified Impact across forest investment portfolios in developed European markets.
The initiative is scheduled to begin in Finland this year, certifying forest investments under both FSC certification and Verified Impact standards. The rollout will subsequently expand into other key European forestry regions, including Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic states, in 2027.
Managing 235,000 hectares across developed European markets, CapMan Natural Capital aims to use the FSC framework to provide measurable data on biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and social outcomes alongside financial returns. The joint effort will also focus on capacity building and developing investor-facing insights to demonstrate how verified natural outcomes enhance long-term asset value.
Highlighting the transition towards evidence-based sustainability, Ivan Gjoshevski, Sustainability Value Creation Director at CapMan, noted that having been among the first in Europe to certify their forests for sustainable management, FSC Verified Impact represented the next step by turning biodiversity outcomes into evidence investors could actively use.
Jyri Hietala, Managing Partner of CapMan Natural Capital, stated that the partnership marked an important next step in their sustainability efforts. He explained that by developing a consistent method of measuring and verifying nature and social outcomes, they were responding to growing investor demand for credible impact, with the ambition of setting a new market standard where verified impact was considered alongside financial indicators.
Addressing the shift in capital allocation, Michele Gonzalez-Mendia, Chief of Sustainable Finance and Partnerships at FSC I&P, observed that investors were increasingly seeking credible, transparent, and decision-useful information on the environmental and social performance of their assets. She explained that FSC’s ambition was to help make verified nature outcomes an integral part of investment decision-making, reflecting a broader shift in financial markets from commitments to measurable outcomes.
From a regional perspective, Olliveikko Silvonen from FSC Finland remarked that the collaboration demonstrated how verified impacts could create new opportunities for sustainable forest management and connect responsible forestry with investor demand across Finland and Europe. Jan Ihre from FSC Sweden added that they were excited to see how FSC Verified Impact standards helped connect biodiversity outcomes with the financial sector, demonstrating the value responsible management created for forests, investors, and society.
The collaboration will also focus on generating practical market insights for the broader sustainable finance community regarding the role of verified impacts in natural capital strategies.
