Start date
End date
Normative Documents

1. FSC-STD-40-004 Chain of Custody Certification

2. FSC-STD-40-007 Sourcing reclaimed material for use in FSC Product Groups or FSC Certified Projects

3. FSC-STD-40-003 Chain of Custody Certification of Multiple Sites

4. FSC-PRO-40-003 Development of National Group Chain of Custody Eligibility Criteria

5. FSC-STD-20-011 Chain of Custody Evaluations

Document Purpose

FSC-STD-40-004 Chain of Custody Certification is the core standard that specifies the requirements which apply to all CoC-certified and applicant organizations with respect to sourcing, processing, labelling, and sale of forest-based products as FSC certified.

FSC-STD-40-007 Sourcing reclaimed material for use in FSC Product Groups or FSC Certified Projects 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-STD-40-003 Chain of Custody Certification of Multiple Sites provides the conditions and requirements for the establishment and management of Chain of Custody certificates with multiple sites.

FSC-PRO-40-003 Development of National Group Chain of Custody Eligibility Criteria provides the procedures to be followed by the NOs for the definition of national eligibility criteria for Group COC certification.

FSC-STD-20-011 Chain of Custody Evaluations provides the requirements for FSC accredited certification bodies (CBs) for auditing CoC organizations against applicable requirements of the FSC normative framework.

Process Objectives

Since the last full revision of the standards, markets and forest-based products have diversified, which requires a revision of the standards to ensure their continued suitability for meeting industry needs, while maintaining the supply chain integrity. The process objectives will be updated with the approval of the Terms of Reference (ToR).

CoC revision plan

 

Process Lead

Parmida Daniali

Technical Coordinator

César Gonçalves

Working Group Members

Core working group - General chain of custody certification & evaluation requirements

Content lead: Parmida Daniali

Working group members:

  • Aliaksandr Zubkevich (Preferred by Nature)
  • Henry Krüger (Smurfit kappa)
  • Marcos Planello (Neocert)
  • Raquel Sanmartín (individual)
  • Xiaojuan Li (East InfLink)

Auxiliary 1 - Group and multisite certification

Content lead: Ha Dang

Working group members:

  • Heather Ross (New Leaf Consulting )
  • Michelle Matteo (NSF)
  • Ulf Sonntag (ZGD)

Auxiliary 2 – Reclaimed material

Content lead: George Acquaah

Working group members:

  • Andrea Perissinotto (IKEA)
  • Doug Patterson (Renewable Strategies)
  • Liz Forwand (Apple)

Auxiliary 3 – Workers’ rights

Content lead: Emily White

Working group members:

  • Apolinar Tolentino (Building and Wood Workers' International)
  • Sebastian Hetsch (TUV SUD Czech)
  • Victoria Rizo (Henvix Ambiental)
Get Involved

Please register here to be informed about this process and the key updates

Timeline

20 - 22 May 2025
Kick-off meeting

The Working Group kick-off meeting for the Chain of Custody Standard revision was held in Bonn, Germany on 20 - 22 May 2025.

11 December 2024 - 31 January 2025
Open Call for Working Group Members Application

FSC opened the call for applications to join a working group to revise chain of custody standards. Applicants could apply from 11 December to 31 January 2025 and identify their preferred workstreams.

 
16 August - 15 October 2024
Consultation on Conceptual Phase Report

Public consultation on proposed changes from the conceptual phase. 

To learn more about the conceptual phase topics, people could participate in one of the below webinars with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish and French.

Public Consultation for Chain of Custody Standards Revision:

September - December 2023
Chain of Custody Topical Workshops

As part of the conceptual phase of the revision process FSC invited all interested stakeholders to join workshops related to the Chain of Custody Standard revision process.

  • Expanding the scope of FSC-STD-40-007 
  • Reinforcing FSC 100%
  • Developing Mechanisms to Address Integrity Risks in FSC Certified Supply Chains
  • Streamlining Chain of Custody Standards
  • Core Labour Requirements in Chain of Custody Standards 
26 July 2022 - 02 September 2022
Review Report Consultation

Public consultation on proposed changes in the standard revision

Terms of Reference

FSC ToR for the Revision of Chain of Custody Standards
PDF, Size: 600.70KB

Conceptual Phase Report

CoC Conceptual Phase Report_FR.pdf
PDF, Size: 936.06KB
CoC Conceptual Phase Report_EN.pdf
PDF, Size: 897.44KB
CoC Conceptual Phase Report_ES
PDF, Size: 952.38KB
Consultation one-pager CP report
PDF, Size: 778.01KB
Consultation Report on CoC Conceptual Phase
PDF, Size: 1.41MB

Review Reports

PSU_Review_Report_2021_STD-40-004__STD_20_011_v4.pdf
PDF, Size: 573.72KB
PSU_Review_Report_FSC-STD-40-003__FSC-PRO-40-003_FINAL_4623(1).pdf
PDF, Size: 362.43KB
PSU_Review_Report_FSC-STD-40-007_DRAFTVV_MM_3748.pdf
PDF, Size: 409.14KB