Chain of Custody
Distributors, Traders, and Brokers

Printer certification

• A printer MUST be FSC-certified if they purchase FSC-certified paper from the merchant and want to label a printed piece with the FSC label.

Print Broker Certification

• A print broker MUST be FSC-certified if they purchase FSC-certified paper from the merchant directly and having it delivered to a printer and want the FSC label to be applied. 
  The broker is taking ownership of the FSC product and therefore considered within the 'chain of custody'.  In this situation it is the broker that places the FSC label (and their certification code) on the document.This also means that the broker can choose to work with any printer, certified or not, since they are verifying the paper's authenticity and labeling it.
  
• A print broker DOES NOT need to be FSC-certified if their printer is FSC-certified and purchases the paper from the merchant directly.
  The broker in this case is not taking ownership of the FSC product and therefore not within the 'chain of custody'. In this situation it is the printer that places the FSC label (and their certification code) on the document.