Show all / Hide all

What is the purpose of www.fsc-info.org?

The public certificate search allows you to confirm the validity of an FSC certificate. This site contains live data and is the only site that has current information on a certificate’s status. It is updated daily.

It offers over 14’000 records of companies trading in forest products from responsible sources. You can search for FSC certified companies and products.

What information can I search for?

Every forest manager and enterprise along the supply chain that is FSC certified is in this database. Each certificate holder has its own record and you can search for a variety of information:

• name of organization
  
  
• product categories
  - to help you find suppliers for FSC products
  
  
• forest management certificates that meet FSC’s “gold standard” for social and environmental practices
  – search for FM in the category of the FSC code.
  
  
• chain of custody certificates that trade, manufacture or sell certified material
  – search for CoC in the category of the FSC code
  
  
• forest management certificates that meet FSC’s Controlled Wood standards to ensure a minimum performance level in the forest
  – search for CW/FM in the category of the FSC code
  
  
• chain of custody certificates certified to source Controlled Wood to ensure a minimum performance level in the forest
  – search for CoC in the category of the FSC code and look for a tick in the CW column in the results table

How do I check the validity of an FSC certificate?

Every certificate holder has a unique code which they use to label their products. You can check this code in our real-time certificate database. The code is broken down into three components:

1. two letter code to identify the certification body that issued the certificate;
2. type of certificate:
   FM = forest management
   CoC = chain of custody
   CW = Controlled Wood
3. numerical code: a unique number between four and six digits

These components make up a unique code.

How do I get access to the label generator?

The label generator is only available to FSC certificate holders. For questions about gaining access to or using the label generator or Certificate Holder Portal, please contact your FSC accredited certification body (CB).

What information does the database provide?

• Address and contact details of the certificate holder
• Members of Group certificates – when viewing the details of a group certificate you can see the multi-site members which are associated with that certificate
• Issue and expiry dates – confirmation of when the certificate was issued to the certification holder and when their certification expires
• Products
  • Product Category and Type – this is only a classification and does not display specific products on sale
  • Species – a list of species that are used in the certificate holders products
  • Activities – a categorization which broadly defines which level the certificate holder is in the supply chain
  • Material category – the grade of FSC material the certificate holder can supply
• The following reports may be available:
  • public summary report – a summary of the main audit report
  • risk assessments – if the certificate handles Controlled Wood
  • forest management standard – the standard the certificate holder was certified under

I can’t find the certificate holder I am looking for. What should I do?

If you are having trouble finding the certificate holder in the database it could be for a number of reasons. All fields search for an exact match and you can try to refine your search in the following way:

• When searching by certificate holder’s name, it is often best to just search for one word from the full title. This means you will get more results but will avoid any problem with misspellings, additional spaces or punctuation.
• In the past, certificate codes were not required to have six characters. Some older certificates have codes which do not contain the leading 0’s. The last six digits of a certificate code are alphanumeric. Try searching without the leading 0’s.
• If you are searching for a product, you should refer to the FSC policy addendum, which contains a list of the possible entries. The list is available in the standard FSC-STD-40-004a which you can find here.
• If you are searching for species, you should refer to the FSC policy addendum, which contains a list of the possible entries. The list is available in the standard FSC-STD-40-004b which is available here.

I checked the code from an FSC product and it is not showing up in the database. Why?

If you still can’t find the certificate code, you should contact the supplier of the labeled product to confirm their status. If their certificate has been “terminated” or is “expired”, they will not be found on the site and the supplier should not be considered a valid certificate holder. Only valid or suspended certificates are displayed in the database:

• ‘valid’ = the certificate is not expired, terminated or suspended
• ‘suspended’ = the certificate is suspended

As with any internationally well-recognized mark, fraudulent use of our labels are an unfortunate reality. We take misuse very seriously and ask for your support to identify these cases. If you believe the certificate code to be invalid or misused, please report this to FSC – more information here www.fsc.org/138.html

What can I do if I see that a certificate holder does not have any entry on the products tab?

If you are browsing a certificate holder's profile and you find there are no products listed, please contact the company directly for more information on their FSC certified products.

If you are a certificate holder and would like to have your product classifications displayed here, please contact your certification body.

Some certificate holders do not have any reports listed. Why?

It is mandatory to produce a public summary report as part of a certification audit. This is an integral part of the transparency of FSC certification. There may be a delay in uploading the public summary, in which case you should contact the respective certification body for the report or ask them to upload it.

Can I see “terminated” certificates?

It is not possible to see terminated or past certificates online. If the certificate is not found in the search listing, then it should be considered invalid.

Can I search for group or multi-site certificate members?

Yes. Group members can be found on the certificate search. You must first check the box to see all sites and group members which is available under the 'Advanced' button on www.fsc-info.org.

I’m having problems viewing the site. Is it a problem with my browser?

Possibly. The site has been tested for use with most versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari. If you use any other browsers you may encounter unusual problems or poor display of the website.

The information on the record is incorrect. How do I change this?

If you are a certificate holder and notice any incorrect data, you should contact your certification body. The certification body is completely responsible for uploading the information in the system and keeping it up to date.

Can I have a list of the certificates in a spreadsheet?

We do not give out lists of information, except to research organizations who must sign a non-disclosure agreement. We are currently developing a policy on which data we will publish whilst adhering to data protection laws, confidentiality and competitive fairness. If you are interested in general statistics, please visit our facts and figures page. If you have a specific request, please email fsc @fsc.org.

Can I print the information?

You can print a printer friendly version of a certificate record by clicking on the printer icon at the top right of the record.

My username and password are not working. What should I do?

There are three login areas on the FSC website and depending on how you are involved in FSC, you may have access to some or all of these areas.

• Membership intranet
  FSC members can access the intranet from the "Login" link in the FSC Dialogue box (on the right hand side of the screen) or visit www.fsc.org/login.html.
  
• Label Generator
  FSC certificate holders can access the label generator through the Certificate Holder Portal section at www.fsc-info.org
• News updates
  If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to international news updates or if you would like to change your contact details, you can login in the "News updates" in the FSC Dialogue box (on the right hand side of the screen) or visit www.fsc.org/subscribe-newsletter.html.

How can I reset my password at www.fsc-info.org?

If you forget your password you can retrieve it by clicking on "Forgot Your Password ?" on the login page www.fsc-info.org or click here. 

You need to enter your username which is usually your e-mail address. You will then receive an email containing login instructions and a link to change your password.

I have a question about labeling, who should I contact?

If you are an FSC certificate holder, please contact your certification body for any questions about using the label or trademark.

If you are an FSC certificate holder and require the label for promotional use, you should also contact your certification body for advice.

If you are not certified but wish to use the FSC label for promotional use, please contact your local FSC Nominated Agent. There are FSC Nominated Agents working in the following countries:

• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

If there is not an FSC Nominated Agent working in your country, please contact the FSC Trademark Unit for more information.

If you have any other questions about labelling or trademarks, you can find more information here.