Are you interested in FSC® certification? Would you like to know exactly what FSC certification means? Do you get the question from your customer/client, subcontractor or client whether you are FSC certified or do they ask for your FSC certificate?
On this page we have listed everything for you regarding FSC certification. After reading this page you will be fully informed and you will know what you need to do to make your company eligible for FSC certification.
What is the meaning of FSC?
FSC is a non-profit organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The letters FSC stand for Forest Stewardship Council. FSC was founded in Toronto in 1993 at the initiative of environmental organizations from 25 countries.
In 2022, FSC is supported by international business, governments, social and environmental organizations such as World Wide Fund for Nature, Greenpeace and ICCO.
What is FSC certification?
FSC Certification is the process to obtain the FSC certificate. With an FSC certification, a company shows that it purchases and sells wood from sustainably managed forests. The certified company is part of the so-called Chain of Custody and is therefore a link in the trade chain from forest to end user, of wood from sustainably managed forests.
Each FSC certified company is registered in the FSC database and receives a digital and paper version of the FSC certificate as proof. You can publish the digital version of your FSC certificate on your website or send it to your customers by email.
What is the purpose of FSC certification?
The FSC organization was established to promote responsible management of forests. The so-called FSC standard (also called the principles and criteria) for responsible forest management balances social, environmental and economic interests.
Forest management in accordance with this standard, with associated possible wood and paper production, protects forests for current and future generations.
An organization with similar objectives is PEFC.
Which FSC certificate suits my company?
FSC distinguishes the following certificates:
- FSC Group Certificate - Maximum 15 FTE or maximum 25 FTE, but with a maximum annual turnover of one million US dollars (± €900,000). IEB is your group manager who takes a lot of work off your hands and checks their group members through an annual audit. Group members receive the same FSC license and FSC-CoC code as the group manager. However, the FSC CoC code is added (eg NC-COC-029615-ZZ) which makes the number of each company unique. The main advantage of group certification is the lower costs.
- FSC Project Certificate - Project certification can be used for individual construction projects. The client (or the construction company) then ensures that there is its own FSC® control system for the project in question. An entry audit and a closing audit are carried out for each project. As a result, the costs are relatively higher than with a group certificate.
- Individual FSC certificate - For companies with more than 15 FTE. After an intake interview, including a baseline measurement, the manual will be drawn up by IEB and you will receive instructions and training, with which you meet the requirements as set by FSC® in the standard. We perform a test audit to test whether the requirements are met. The Certification Body (SGS) will perform the initial audit. If you pass the test, the certificate will be issued. Of course we are always ready to answer your questions, even after you have obtained the certificate.
- Multisite FSC certificate - For larger companies with multiple locations. In addition, a central part of the company acts as manager who ensures that all branches comply with the rules. The central office is checked annually by IEB (Ingenieursbureau Evan Buytendijk). In addition, we also carry out annual checks (audits) on a representative sample of the sites.
