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SLIMF Eligibility Criteria
FSC-STD-01-003
This standard shall be used by all FSC-accredited certification bodies and FSC-accredited National Initiatives for the purpose of defining small and low intensity managed forests (SLIMFs) eligible for application of streamlined certification procedures.
Forest Management Evaluations Addendum – Forest Certification Public Summary Reports
FSC-STD-20-007b
Please note that the content of this normative document has been streamlined into FSC-STD-20-007 Forest Management Evaluations Standard (V4-0) Publication date: 1 February 2023 Effective date: 1 July 2023 End of transition period: 31 December 2024 The social impacts of forest management mean that forest management is a social as a well as a technical activity. It is not possible to involve all stakeholders in every forest evaluation. It is therefore essential that forest certification and its results should be open to public scrutiny. This is the only way to demonstrate to all interested or affected parties that the certification decisions are justified and acceptable. It is a basic requirement of the FSC scheme that certification bodies make a summary report of each certified forest operation publicly available.
Sourcing reclaimed material for use in FSC Product Groups or FSC Certified Projects
FSC-STD-40-007
This standard stipulates the requirements that shall be followed by organizations certified according to FSC-STD-40-004 or FSC-STD-40-006 for purchasing, verifying and classifying reclaimed forest-based inputs (including materials such as bamboo and cork) for use in FSC Product Groups and FSC Certified Projects.
FSC Controlled Wood Standard for Forest Management Enterprises
FSC-STD-30-010
This standard specifies basic requirements applicable at the forest management unit (FMU) level for forest management enterprises to demonstrate to a company or third party certification body that wood supplied is controlled. It allows forest management enterprises to provide evidence that the wood they supply has been controlled to avoid wood that is illegally harvested, harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights, harvested in forest management units in which high conservation values are threatened by management activities, harvested in areas in which forests are being converted to plantations or nonforest use or harvested from forests in which genetically modified tress are planted.
Chain of Custody Certification of Multiple Sites
FSC-STD-40-003
The objective of this document is to provide the conditions and requirements for the establishment and management of Chain of Custody certificates with multiple sites.
International Generic Indicators
FSC-STD-60-004
This Standard contains the FSC International Generic Indicators (IGI), and is a key document in the FSC certification system. The IGI consist of the Preamble, ten Principles and their associated Criteria and Indicators, Annexes, Instructions for Standard Developers and a Glossary of Terms.
Stakeholder Consultation for Forest Evaluations
FSC-STD-20-006
This standard is designed to give certification bodies and stakeholders more clarity as to the nature and extent of stakeholder consultation required for evaluation of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards.
Forest Management Evaluations
FSC-STD-20-007
The objective of this standard is to provide the requirements for FSC-accredited certification bodies to assess conformity of The Organization against applicable requirements of the FSC normative framework with regards to forest management certification, as well as reporting and decision making.
Standard for evaluation of FSC Controlled Wood in Forest Management Enterprises
FSC-STD-20-012
This standard is designed to provide a credible guarantee that all forest management units (FMUs) included in the scope of a FSC Controlled Wood certificate comply with the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Controlled Wood standards for forest management enterprises FSC-STD-30-010 (Version 2-0).
Structure, Content and Local Adaptation of Generic Forest Stewardship Standards
FSC-STD-20-002
This standard defines a hierarchical framework which ensures that all FSC Forest Stewardship Standards can be audited in a consistent manner, providing replicable results. This standard also specifies the requirements for certification bodies to adapt their generic standards to local conditions in countries where there is not yet an FSC approved regional, national or sub-national Forest Stewardship Standard. This standard shall apply to certification body generic certification standards used as the basis for FSC certification.
(618 results)
Certification-requirements-overview_TLA-Annex2_2023-03-06.pdf
FSC_Policy_responses_Ukraine__2022-12-19
FSC-STD-RAP-01-2021
FSC-STD-01-003 SLIMF Review Report
Focus Forests Landscape Dialogue – Info Sheet_EN
FSC core labour requirements self-assessment_Australia V1-0
Greenpeace Report - Stolen Future
Co-Creating Collective Benefits Briefing Note.pdf
2018.07 New Members EN- FSC Internacional
2020.12 New Members EN - FSC Internacional

Annual Administration Fee Update for Chain of Custody Certification

The annual administration fee (AAF) is a fee charged by FSC to accredited certification bodies. The AAF for chain of custody certification is calculated according to the AAF policy using the value of certificate holders’ forest products turnover in the certification body’s portfolio.  

The majority of FSC’s income comes from the AAF and is used to fund FSC’s activities. As such, the AAF is a vital contributor to achieving FSC’s mission of Forests for All Forever.
 

100% wood Spanish Label

A revised AAF from 1 July 2022

FSC has revised the AAF structure for chain of custody certification to make it more equitable and provide FSC with additional funding to invest in increasing the value delivered by FSC; thereby creating more value for certificate holders.

AAF Investment

Additional Investment Brings Market Value

INVESTMENT

Additional investment is needed to drive implementation of FSC's 2026 strategy

Additional investment will drive implementation of FSC's ambitious 2021-2026 Global Strategy. It is estimated that the new AAF policy will enable FSC to invest more than US$10 million over the next three to five years. The additional investment will help to accelerate value chain development, implement critical upgrades in technology, strengthen system integrity, and enhance stakeholder engagement.

AAF value brand

VALUE

The value of FSC's brand presence is growing and generating increasing demand from consumers, brands, and retailers

The value of FSC's market presence is growing and generating more and more opportunities to engage positively with consumers, brands, and retailers for the benefit of the world's forests. Strengthening FSC will enable the organization to respond to market needs and leverage these opportunities. Increasing awareness of and demand for FSC-certified products will create market opportunities for chain of custody certificate holders, and thus incentivize the adoption of sustainable forest management across an increasing area of the world's forests.

Investing in Value Chains Brings New Benefits
AAF Equitable

A More Equitable AAF

EQUITY

The new fee structure is more equitable.

Previously, the AAF for chain of custody certification was calculated according to a series of wide bands of forest products turnover, with a fixed fee charged depending on the turnover category that a certificate holder falls into. This has changed from July 2022, to make the AAF more equitable.

The previous AAF calculation could lead to inequalities because companies at the lower end of a turnover band paid the same fee as those at the top of the band. For example, a company with forest products turnover of US$101 million paid the same fee as a company with a forest products turnover of US$499 million, using the turnover band method. To address this, a new structure has been introduced that calculates AAF based on the actual forest products turnover, rather than using broad ranges. In addition, the single site discount has been removed.

Estimate Your revised AAF

The new AAF is calculated based on a certificate holder's actual forest products turnover using a sliding scale. This results in a more equitable AAF structure.

For certificate holders to estimate their new fee from 1 July 2022, please consult the AAF Policy. For a precise figure, please contact your certification body.

FSC-POL-20-005 AAF Policy

The New AAF Applies From 1 July 2022

AAF July 2022

 

Investing in Value Chains Brings New Benefits

In the past years, FSC has successfully grown the FSC brand and promoted the uptake of FSC certification in key value chains. Most notably, FSC has:

  • Increased the adoption of FSC certification in key value chains such as textiles, packaging, natural rubber, and furniture, providing market growth opportunities for many chain of custody certificate holders. For example, FSC collaborated with Pirelli and BMW to launch the first FSC-certified car tyre, which is a significant step forward in the sustainable development of the natural rubber sector.
  • Increased engagement with ecommerce. For example, FSC collaborated with Amazon to highlight FSC-certified products as part of the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly platform to encourage consumers to choose more sustainable products.
  • Reached millions of consumers with stories of FSC impact, most recently on EuroNews and in National Geographic.
  • Continued development and expansion of FSC climate and ecosystem services solutions.
  • Invested in technology to make the FSC system more transparent and allow auditors to prepare for audits virtually, thus making the audit process faster, more effective, and data driven.
  • Developed and piloted new certification protocols for smallholders, ensuring forests are protected, while opening market opportunities for many small forest owners.

Potential extra funding from the revised AAF will enable FSC to build on this progress and continue to grow the value of the FSC brand and uptake of FSC certification. In turn, this will create larger markets for FSC-certified products. In addition, further investment will accelerate development of climate and ecosystem services solutions and strengthen the integrity of FSC's system through investment in blockchain technology, helping us to address problematic supply chains.

Read more about our plans in our 2021-2026 Global Strategy.