FSC
Wood and paper from responsibly managed forests, with a traceable chain from forest to product.
- Sourced from responsibly managed forests
- A traceable chain from forest to product
- Rights of local communities
- Says nothing about the chemistry of the end product
- Says nothing about transport distance
You can trace the wood back
Every link is checked, so an FSC logo isn't a promise but a paper trail.
How FSC tests
FSC writes the standards but does not audit or issue certificates itself; that is done by accredited, independent certification bodies. Forest owners are assessed against FSC's principles for forest management, and every company that processes or trades the material needs a chain-of-custody certificate showing that FSC material is tracked and kept separate, with records of purchases and sales. Both are checked with an initial assessment followed by annual audits. The label comes in three types: FSC 100% (all from certified forests), FSC Recycled (100% recycled material) and FSC Mix (certified, recycled and 'controlled' wood).
Sources
- FSC – Labels (100%, Mix, Recycled) fsc.org
- FSC – Chain of custody certification fsc.org
- FSC – Forest management certification fsc.org
- FSC – Our history fsc.org
- Greenpeace NL – Goede en slechte praktijken met het FSC-keurmerk (2014) greenpeace.org
We read the label's own standard and criteria, check them against at least one independent source and write down what the label does not cover. Every page names its researcher and the date we last reviewed it.
