FSC® Chain of Custody Certification

FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) is a third-party certification demonstrating that wood products, paper products, and other forest materials are traceable back to an FSC certified source. 

CoC certification is required if your company takes legal ownership of certified materials or products and wishes to pass on an FSC certified claim to your supply chain customer(s). Companies at the end of the supply chain, such as retailers who will not be passing the claim forward on an invoice, are not required to hold a certificate but may choose to do so. FSC now offers retailer promotional licenses for off-product promotional purposes. Contact your local FSC office or SCS for more information.

Every CoC certificate holder must conform to the FSC Chain of Custody Standard. Certification to additional standards may be necessary depending on the structure of your organization (e.g. multi-site for common ownership, or group certification for small businesses without common ownership) and the use of uncertified materials (virgin or recycled) that you might wish to source and mix with your certified materials or products. Please contact us to determine the available options.

Each FSC certificate covers a five-year period. In the interim, the company must undergo a yearly surveillance audit.

Yes, there are many green building programs such as US Green Building Council's LEED program, Living Building Challenge, LEED India, the Green Building Council of Australia, and others that offer credit for the use of certified wood products in construction. Consult the green building standard, a local green building professional, or SCS to learn more.

The cost of SCS third-party assessment is variable depending on factors such as where you are located, how large you are, how complex the operation,  and whether your FSC certification is bundled with other certifications.

FSC certificates are issued for a five-year period. Annual surveillance audits are required to maintain your certification during this period.

The certification process takes approximately 6-8 weeks depending on the size and complexity of your operation. The largest component of this is audit preparation. If you have already developed your FSC procedures, certification assessments can be expedited for an additional fee. For primary producers implementing a Controlled Wood sourcing program, a 6-week stakeholder consultation is required.

As an accredited third party certification body, SCS is forbidden from providing any applicants with consulting services. However, we are able to provide guidance documents to help your company prepare for a certification audit, and you will be provided with an audit plan in advance to provide an outline for the day as well as information on documentation that may be requested during the assessment.

Chain of Custody certificates are valid for a period of five years, contingent on annual surveillance audits occurring once every 12 months.

CoC certificate holders may be interested in complementary certifications that address additional aspects of your products and operations, such as food safety (packaging), carbon footprint, carbon neutrality, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Please contact SCS for customized recommendations specific to your business.