Why should I become FSC certified?
Being FSC certified shows that you comply with the highest social and environmental standards on the market. As public concerns about the state of the world’s forests and timber resources increases, FSC provides you with a credible solution to complex environmental and social issues.

FSC certification is an effective way to get public and consumer recognition of your responsible practices. It gives you credibility with customers and business partners as well as financial institutions and watchdog organizations. FSC certification helps to protect your brand and reputation and it allows you to access highly environmentally sensitive markets. Increasingly, governments and others specify FSC certified products in their procurement programs.

FSC Forest Management certification is the certification of the forest or plantation area.

FSC Chain of Custody certification tracks the FSC certified material through the production processes all the way to the store.

5 Steps towards FSC certification

FSC does not issue certificates itself. The certification process is carried out by independent organizations called certification bodies. These certification bodies assess forest management and chain of custody operations against FSC standards. Only FSC accredited certification bodies are authorized to issue FSC certificates.

1.Contact one or several FSC accredited certification bodies. To give you a first estimate regarding cost and time needed the certification body will need some basic information about your operation. The certification body will provide you with information about the requirements for FSC certification.
2.You decide which certification body you would like to work with and sign an agreement with the certification body.
3.A certification audit takes place to assess your company’s qualifications for certification.
4.The data collected at the audit is the basis of the audit report based on which the certification body makes the certification decision.
5.If the certification decision is positive, you receive a FSC certificate. If the audit revealed that your operation is not yet in full compliance with FSC requirements, then you can go for further audits after you have implemented the changes suggested in the certification report.

FSC certificates are valid for five years. The FSC accredited certification body will conduct annual surveillance audits to verify your continued compliance with FSC certification requirements