FSC single certificate holders applying for new or renewed certification must sign a new TLA (version 6) from 20 January 2022.
The new TLA can be signed electronically within the FSC Certification Portal. It also updates compliance with data protection regulations (such as the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union), and strengthens the integrity of the FSC system by for example, enabling specific possibilities for termination, suspension and/or penalties in the case of false claims.
The new TLA is currently only available for businesses applying for, or renewing, single certification. Certification will only be granted on signature of the new TLA.
To access the FSC Certification Portal, certificate holders should first create a profile on FSC Connect. The new TLA will then be available to sign electronically via DocuSign®.
The TLA is a legal document that governs the relationship between FSC and the certificate holder, and grants the right to use the FSC trademarks, for both on-product labelling and promotional use. The specific rules governing the use of the FSC trademarks by certificate holders are set out in FSC-STD-50-001.
FSC regularly revises the TLA to comply with the latest legal requirements and to ensure that the integrity and credibility of the FSC certification scheme is upheld and protected.