FSC™ CoC Certification

Consumers and business partners want assurance that your products come from responsibly managed sources that limit damage to the forest environment and forest-dependent indigenous communities. Your business must also prove that your goods come exclusively from legal sources, as required by the EU Timber Regulation, the Lacey Act in the U.S., or similar legislative requirements.

The Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) is a nonprofit organisation that set standards for forestry practices. It promotes environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry. The FSC Chain of Custody monitors the flow of wood material – from the forest to the customer –to demonstrate its origins. This evidence is known as (CoC). Wood products such as furniture can be labelled as FSC certified if they meet these high standards.

As an internationally accredited Certification Body for the FSC CoC (license code FSC® A000530), TÜV SÜD provides the complete portfolio of FSC CoC certification services. We are recognised worldwide for our quality certifications and our knowledgeable auditors.

FSC™ Controlled Wood is not FSC™ certified but meets the specifications of the FSC™ Controlled Wood Standard. It can be mixed with certified wood when producing FSC certified products, provided it meets requirements. FSC CoC and FSC Controlled Wood systems and certification is a way to show compliance with the EU Timber Regulation. To become FSC CoC certified, companies must be audited to meet the requirements of the CoC Standard, FSC-STD-40-004.

FSC certification assures customers that your company only uses legal sources and responsibly managed forests for its material. It enables you to offer customers better value in terms of origin of material and promotion of responsible forestry. By using FSC™ material, you can also open up new business opportunities for your company in markets requiring the certification.

We support your company at every stage of the certification process, from pre-audit and throughout the entire five-year certification cycle. CoC certifications require ongoing annual audits. We can perform these within the five-year certification cycle to monitor how your organisation has implemented requirements for the separation of FSC certified and uncertified material. We can also identify ways in which they might potentially get mixed. Our auditors observe your company’s separation and flow of material, its management systems, and use of the FSC™ trademarks.

Our auditors understand all the technical and social complexities of FSC chain of custody certification for a wide range of industries across wood processing, pulp and paper, packaging, and printing. We can offer FSC Chain of Custody audits in combination with other audit services, such as ISO or other forest certification schemes.