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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.
The FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for Chinese Taipei
FSC-STD-TWN-01-2023 EN
The present document contains certification requirements for certifying forest operations in Chinese Taipei, developed in accordance with FSC's normative document for the development and maintenance of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards. Revisions of FSC Forest Stewardship Standards are ongoing, and all existing standards will be transferred to the revised Principles & Criteria version 5-2. All standards are valid until replaced by a new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard.
Requirements for Sourcing FSC Controlled Wood
FSC-STD-40-005
Este estándar describe los requisitos de un sistema de diligencia debida para que organizaciones con certificación FSC de Cadena de Custodia eviten material proveniente de fuentes inaceptables. El material proveniente de fuentes inaceptables no puede usarse en productos FSC Mixtos.
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.
Requirements for use of the FSC trademarks by certificate holders
FSC-STD-50-001
This standard is mandatory for all FSC certificate holders who are entitled to use the FSC trademarks and sets out how to use the FSC trademarks correctly. The standard covers use of the FSC trademarks on FSC certified products, use for promotion of FSC certified products, and for promotion of the company's status as an FSC certificate holder. This standard forms the basis for evaluation and approval by FSC accredited certification bodies of all certificate holders' FSC trademark use.
FSC Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship
FSC-STD-01-001
FSC is an international organization that provides a system for voluntary accreditation and independent third-party certification. This system allows certificate holders to market their products and services as the result of environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management. FSC also sets standards for the development and approval of FSC Stewardship Standards which are based on the FSC Principles and Criteria. In addition, FSC sets standards for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies (also known as certification bodies) that certify compliance with FSC's standards. Based on these standards, FSC provides a system for certification for organizations seeking to market their products as FSC certified. Version 4-0 is still applicable to those territories which have FSC certified forests but do not have Forest Stewardship Standards based on Version 5-0. Version 4-0 is available for download here: FSC-STD-01-001 Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship V4-0
General requirements for FSC accredited certification bodies
FSC-STD-20-001
This standard specifies the accreditation requirements for all certification bodies operating FSC accredited certification programs. The objective of this standard is to ensure that these programs are managed in a competent, consistent, impartial, transparent, rigorous, reliable and credible manner, thereby facilitating their acceptance on a national and international basis and so furthering international trade and promoting sustainable development.
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.
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.
SLIMF eligibility criteria addendum
FSC-STD-01-003a
This document provides an up to date list of countries for which the SLIMF eligibility criteria differ from those specified for international use in “FSC-STD-01-003 V1-0 EN: SLIMF Eligibility Criteria” .
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Los Certificados del Grupo Polyprom Han Sido Rescindidos
Strengthening the FSC Supply Chain White Oak
one-pager 20 Sep.pdf
2020.06 Nuevos Miembros ES - FSC Internacional
IN_Analisis Garis Dasar FSC terhadap APRIL Group.pdf
3_Material-de-consulta_Listas-FSC-Pesticidas-Altamente-Peligrosos_ES.pdf
2018.11 Nuevos Miembros ES - FSC Internacional
2020.04 Nuevos Miembros ES - FSC Internacional
FSC core labor requirement self-assessment_Indonesia V1-0
FSC-STD-01-003 V1 ES Criterios de Elegibilidad para SLIMF

Blockchain

Integrity is a core value for FSC: a fundamental principle and value of who we are, how we work, and what we stand for. With its enhanced data security and traceability, blockchain technology has enormous, game-changing potential that reaches far beyond the realm of finance.

FSC Innovation Blockchain
CC Pixabay

What is blockchain and how does it apply to FSC?

Simply put, blockchain is a record-keeping digital technology, and it registers transactions into a digital ledger that cannot be changed (a concept known as immutability). These transactions are recorded in the ledger as a chain of data blocks via a consensus protocol that checks the authenticity and data integrity of each transaction before it can be recorded in the ledger. Unlike public blockchains associated with cryptocurrencies, consortium or “permissioned” private blockchain ledgers can be set up such that only certain parties have permission to use the blockchain, even when the parties are not known to each other. This is the type of blockchain FSC uses.

Like many global supply chains, forest-related supply chains rely on paper documentation, including a paper trail of invoices, bills of lading, and other “wet” signature/stamp trade paperwork. Paper systems open the potential for fraudulent claims, because bad actors can tamper with or falsify documentation. Blockchain can fundamentally change how compliance and traceability of FSC materials across supply chains are verified using secure technology, breaking free of paper-based documentation, and the exclusive reliance on that documentation, to determine whether materials are compliant. 

Another advantage of blockchain is that it helps overcome IT limitations related to delivering a full package of immutability, information security, and consensus when the participating parties may be unknown to each other.  A certified organization of course knows their direct suppliers, but generally doesn’t have knowledge of their suppliers’ suppliers. Blockchain allows trading partners to be connected to all parties handling materials down to the source, and to verify the compliance of the materials as they move through the supply chain, without the need to reveal or even identify business relationships beyond those direct relationships an organization already has today. 

FSC believes that blockchain can help certified organizations verify that the materials they trade are compliant and traceable to the source. Today, FSC-certified organizations are required to maintain up-to-date material accounting records of the certified materials they trade, and we can tap into these records with blockchain to securely share and verify these point-of-trade exchanges across the supply chain.

Why are materials compliance checks and traceability so important?

FSC trademarks are valuable to all of our stakeholders, and FSC works to protect our reputation and enforce our trademark rights by monitoring trademark compliance and investigating false claims. Certified organizations are licensed to use the FSC trademarks for on-product labelling and promotional use, and at the point of trade, organizations’ trade documentation carries FSC claims that tell trading partners that the materials they are buying are certified. 

When we find fraudulent claims and non-certified materials in FSC supply chains, there is a breakdown of trust, and the achievements of compliant certified organizations can be overshadowed. FSC’s supply chain investigations and Transaction Verification allow FSC to investigate, uncover, and address fraudulent activities carried out by certified organizations. However, transaction verification has two major downfalls. First, it only allows us to investigate events that occurred in the past, once the damage has already been done. Second, it only allows us to investigate with a very narrow and fixed scope on a particular supply chain. This leaves FSC with little ability to adjust or scale to real-time monitoring during or after an investigation.

Compliance checks and the undisputable traceability of materials are important to certified organizations and for FSC. Information Technology tools can help overcome the obstacles of inefficiency and not having timely verified information while protecting the privacy of business relationships. 

What’s going on with FSC’s blockchain?

In 2021, FSC developed and piloted its first cloud-based blockchain platform. The pilot involved ten participating companies and focused on two relatively simple, “short” supply chains in Ukraine and China. The pilot was a success in several important ways: it helped to verify point-of-trade claims, gave users simple options to provide data without needing to make burdensome operational changes, and bred ideas for how future versions of the FSC Blockchain could meet a growing need to demonstrate compliance, traceability, and legality to trading partners, governments, and consumers in ever more effective ways. 

This pilot concluded in early 2022, and we thank all of the participants for their engagement. Based on feedback we received from participants, FSC is currently developing its Next Generation Blockchain. Our goals will be to help users manage the critical supply chain data needed for regulatory compliance, cater for enhanced materials accounting and mass balance calculations, and deliver advanced analytics, all through a platform where all data is encrypted at the point of entry to maintain business confidentiality. 

We expect to have a working prototype developed by the end of 2023, and we plan to make the platform available to general users from 2024 onwards. If you are an FSC certificate holder and would like to help us test the FSC Next Generation Blockchain in your business, please get in touch via digitalinput@fsc.org.