Brief Description

The FSC^® Chain of Custody standard ensures the minimum management and production requirements in order to prove  that forest products purchased, labelled and sold – as FSC Certified – by a company come from well managed forests, controlled sources, reclaimed materials or a mix of these, and that the claims they carry are legal and accurate.

Detailed Description

For a product to obtain FSC^® claim, there needs to be an unbroken chain of certified businesses that covers every change in legal ownership from the certified forest or point of reclamation to the sale of the end product with the FSC label and relevant claim in the sale documents.

TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS provides accredited certification services to all businesses in the chain of custody, in accordance with the FSC^®  Chain of Custody standards. License code: FSC® A000540.  See the accreditation certificate ASI-ACC-079.

What is the certification procedure?

You can download the Certification Regulation here . The regulation contains information on the audit process, granting and maintaining the certification handling of complaints and appeals. You can download the Certification Regulation in other languages here. 

The cost of auditing depends on the number of man-hours required by the complexity of the organization. Fees charged to clients for the provision of auditing services is the only source of funding for TÜV Austria. 

The cost of auditing is not including the annual management costs/fees of the owner of the scheme. The amount of these costs/fees depends on the company’s turnover in the certification field according to the applicable policy of the Forest Stewardship Council ^®.

Complete the application.

Who is it for?

FSC ^® Chain of Custody certification is addressed to these sectors:

1. Processing and manufacture of wood products
2. Manufacture of pulp, paper and paper products
3. Packaging manufacture
4. Manufacture of products from recycled wood- or paper-based products
5. Companies that reclaim recycled materials from wood or paper
6. Wood or paper printing services
7. Bulk trade in the above types of products
8. Subcontractors and suppliers of businesses with the above operations

You can verify the validity of FSC^®  Chain of Custody certifications here

Conditions for certification of a business

You can find information on the FSC^® Chain of Custody normative framework for certification here .

How does a business benefit from certification?

• Certification is evidence of a commitment to environmental preservation, climate change mitigation, and the integration of sustainable development into business operations.
• Certification gives a business a competitive advantage and lends value added to the product produced
• Certification attracts environmentally aware customers