The idea of forest certification as an instrument for recognising and providing an incentive for sustainable forest management originated during the debate about a tropical timber boycott. This debate took place mainly in Europe and North America in the 1980s, when the public became increasingly aware of the alarming rate of rainforest destruction. At the time numerous environmental groups were calling for a boycott of tropical timber.

As early as 1989, GTZ pointed out that a blanket ban on tropical timber would be counterproductive. Forests with no commercial value easily fall prey to other land uses. The aim should be to make the responsible use of forest resources profitable, thereby enhancing the economic value of forest conservation. This is the best way to safeguard forests in the long term.