Revision of Chain of Custody Standards

Revision of FSC Chain of Custody Standards

FSC is currently undertaking a joint revision process to revise the following chain of custody standards (and associated procedures):

FSC-STD-40-004 Chain of Custody Certification
FSC-STD-40-007 Sourcing reclaimed material for use in FSC Product Groups or FSC Certified Projects
FSC-STD-40-003 Chain of Custody Certification of Multiple Sites
FSC-PRO-40-003 Development of National Group Chain of Custody Eligibility Criteria
FSC-STD-20-011 Chain of Custody Evaluations

Conducting a joint revision of these normative documents helps streamline Chain of Custody requirements and would result in a one-off transition for the certificate holders and certification bodies.

chainofcustody@fsc.org

Current Phase of Revision Process

FSC and working group members are currently working on the first draft of the revised FSC chain of custody standards, in the lead up to consultation which is due to commence on 15 November 2025.

For further details on the revision process and timeline, and consultation opportunities for stakeholders, please visit the process page:

Process Page

The 'why'

They key intended outcomes of the broader revision process are:

the enhancement of risk-based approaches, which contemplate various dimensions of risk (e.g. activity, product type, geographical locations and species);
revised requirements which address identified challenges for SMEs for maintenance and implementation of CoC requirements;
the streamlining of CoC requirements, so they are concise, relevant and implementable by all stakeholders; and
the alignment of CoC requirements with other FSC requirements and relevant legislation to support system integrity and maintain value of certification for stakeholders.

In keeping with the above, the specific revision objectives for each standard are outlined in the below graphic: