FSC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation established to promote responsible management of the world’s forest resources—environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable.
The Chain of Custody (CoC) certification ensures the traceability of materials sourced from FSC-certified forests and is essential for applying FSC labels on products.
Holding a valid FSC Chain of Custody certification is a necessary condition for selling a product as certified. Thanks to this certification, an organisation can assure the market about the origin of the wood or paper used in its products and can therefore demonstrate, in a correct, transparent and controlled manner, its active contribution to responsible forest management.
FSC Chain of Custody certification can be:
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Individual (for single organisations)
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Group (covering multiple organisations, including the possibility of multi-site certification)
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Project-based (applicable, for example, to construction and building sectors, for which a dedicated standard exists).
FSC certification is voluntary, but all organisations that take ownership of certified materials/products and perform one or more of the following activities must be certified:
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selling products as FSC-certified;
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applying FSC labels to products;
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handling or transforming FSC-certified products (manufacturing, printing, packaging, adding forest-based components, etc.).
In January 2021, FSC achieved an important milestone: the introduction of FSC Core Labour Requirements within the Chain of Custody Standard. With this step, the principles of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998) were also integrated into this regulatory framework.
The four principles of the ILO core conventions are:
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freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
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elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour;
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effective abolition of child labour;
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elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
