FSC™ CoC Certification

Demonstrate the responsible origin of your wood and paper products

The demand for wood, paper and other forest products sourced from well-managed forests continues to grow. Consumers and business partners want assurance that your products come from responsibly managed sources that limit their 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.

What is FSC™ Chain of Custody certification?

The Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC) is a nonprofit organisation that set standards for forestry practices with the aim of promoting environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry. Wood products such as furniture can be labelled as FSC certified if they meet the high standards set by the organisation.

To be certified, the flow of the wood material – from the forest to the customer – must be monitored to demonstrate its origins. This evidence is known as Chain of Custody (CoC).

Why is it important?

This assures customers that your company only uses legal sources and responsibly managed forests for its material.

It enables you to offer your 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.

Our FSC™ CoC services

We offer services to support your company at every stage of the certification process, from pre-audit throughout the entire five-year certification cycle.  

Designed for all businesses involved in the supply chain of forest-based products, FSC CoC certifications require ongoing annual audits. We can perform these audits within the five-year certification cycle to monitor how your organisation has implemented requirements for the separation of certified and uncertified material, as well as identifying ways in which they might potentially get mixed. Our auditors observe your company’s separation and flow of material, its management systems, and your use of the FSC trademarks.

FSC Controlled Wood

FSC Controlled Wood covers wood that is not FSC certified but meets the specifications of the FSC Controlled Wood Standard. This includes legality of the harvest and due consideration to key social and environmental issues. FSC Controlled Wood can be mixed with certified wood for production of FSC-certified products, provided it meets respective requirements. FSC CoC and FSC Controlled Wood systems and certification is a tool to show compliance with the EU Timber Regulation.

How can we help you?

As an internationally accredited Certification Body for the FSC CoC (license code FSC® A000530), TÜV SÜD Czech is a one-stop provider of certification services.

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

Why choose TÜV SÜD?

TÜV SÜD Czech is a trusted market leader for credible CoC certification. We are known worldwide for the high quality of our certifications and the outstanding performance of our auditors.

Our experts are committed to a fast turnaround on approvals of submitted artwork using the FSC trademark, delivering on deadlines as short as two days or even a few hours in the case of printing businesses.

To become FSC™ Chain of Custody (CoC) certified, companies must be audited to meet the requirements of the CoC Standard, FSC-STD-40-004.

Relevant documents

Go to our "Procedure for Complaints and Appeals Resolution related to FSC® Certification"