About FSC

Background

The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit making organisation that sets the standards for the certification of responsibly managed forests worldwide. FSC certified forests are managed with due respect for the environment, the wildlife and the local communities. A system of Chain of Custody traces forest products of all kinds to end consumer.

Currently there is over 123.7 million hectares of forest certified to the FSC Forest standard and demand in the UK has been a major contributor to this achievement.

Half the world's commercial timber is needed to make paper products such as paper towels, gift wrap paper, packaging, photocopy paper, newspapers, books and magazines (source WWF).

The paper and printing industry has the power to have a massive impact on how our forests are managed. Through using and specifying FSC paper, businesses and individuals can be confident that they are not damaging ancient forests, or jeopardising the wildlife or the future of the people who live and work in the forests.

Benefits of FSC Certification

  1. It adds value to your product, giving it a verifiable social and environmental quality
  2. It demonstrates that you take the environmental concerns of your customers and staff seriously
  3. It assists with continued market access in an increasingly environmentally aware sector

What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody certification verifies that the wood in a product is from a certified forest or other controlled source, or is reclaimed. The Chain of Custody is audited by independent FSC accredited Certification Bodies. Every link in the supply chain from forest to final product needs its own Chain of Custody certificate. Each certificate has a unique number and this number must appear on product labels and invoices.

Who needs Chain of Custody?

Pulp and paper makers, paper converters, carton and board manufacturers, paper merchants and importers, publishers, printers: in fact, all those whose customers want to advertise products as FSC certified or say that they have bought or used certified products.

There is a single simple rule: If you own the paper then you will need to have Chain of Custody certification or the chain will be broken and the next owner will not be able to say that the product is FSC certified.

The use of any of the FSC Trademarks (the name, Forest Stewardship Council, the acronym, FSC, or the tick-tree logo) on any product or on any promotional material about a product is a claim that the item is FSC certified. A claim can only be made under a valid chain of custody certificate.

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