To become Certified:
1. Contact an FSC Certifier
2. Submit an Application to the FSC Certifier and receive a price and timeline quote.
3. Complete an On-site Audit
4. Certification approval and receipt of FSC Certification code (XXX-COC-######) and Trademark License Code (FSC-C######).
5. Annual Audit
Chain of Custody (CoC) certification connects consumers to healthy forests by tracking products from forest to shelf.
To be able to track products back to their origin, companies that take legal possession and are involved in the processing, transformation, manufacturing, converting or distribution of forest-based products must be FSC-certified in order to sell a product with and FSC Claim or FSC logo.
To become FSC Chain of Custody certified, companies must meet the requirements outlined in the Chain of Custody Standard FSC-STD-40-004. A summary of these requirements is outlined in the Chain of Custody Factsheet.
CoC certification involves the independent verification of a company by a third-party Certifier. If the company meets FSC Standards it is issued an FSC certificate and is eligible to sell products with an FSC Claim and/or FSC logo.
CoC certificates are valid for five years, during which time Certifiers conduct annual surveillance audits. At the end of five years companies may choose to renew their CoC certificate.
The length of time between application and receipt of certification will depend on the availability of the Certifier, the preparedness of the company, as well as the size and complexity of the operation. Most CoC certificates are granted within 4 to 6 weeks of application.
There are two parts to the cost of CoC certification: a certification fee based on the size of the company, which goes to FSC International; and an audit fee which goes to the Certifier for the cost of the certification audit and support. Contact an FSC Certifier for a quote.
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