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Which safeguards exist against timber from unacceptable sources entering my supply chain?

FSC has developed tools that help FSC certified companies to avoid wood produced from sources that are considered to be socially and environmentally damaging. It specifically helps manufacturers and traders to avoid wood that has been:

1. Illegally harvested
2. Harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights
3. Harvested in forests that have been identified to be of particular biological and/or cultural value
4. Harvested from conversion of natural forest (or other natural habitat)
5. Harvested from genetically modified trees

What is accreditation?

Before being able to certify according to FSC standards, certification bodies have to gain FSC accreditation. To do this, certifiers have to comply with an extensive set of rules. Compliance with these rules and procedures is verified by Accreditation Services International (ASI) - the company managing the FSC accreditation program.

Accreditation controls the proper implementation of the FSC rules and procedures by the FSC accredited certification bodies.

FSC is the only global forest management certification system with an integrated accreditation program that systematically controls its certification bodies.

ASI conducts an office audit and the witnessing of one trial audit in the field.If the certification body is compliant to FSC standards, it will gain FSC accreditation. One such requirement is that all FSC accredited certification bodies have to be in compliance with relevant international ISO standard (ISO/IEC Guide 65: 1996 (E)).

Every year ASI controls the continued implementation of FSC rules and procedures through at least one office and one field audit for each FSC accredited certification body. The exact number and distribution of ASI surveillance audits is calculated based on ASI’s sampling procedure taking into account complex settings (geographic areas, policies or products that carry increased risk) and the number of FSC certificates handled by a FSC accredited certification body. Summaries of ASI surveillance audits are publicly available on the ASI website.

If an FSC accredited certification body is found to not fully comply with FSC rules and procedures, Corrective Action Requests (CAR) are raised. These must be fulfilled within a certain time frame. Depending on the seriousness of the infringement, the time line can vary from one year for minor administrative infringements to three months or less for major infringements. If the certification body fails to comply with FSC requirements within the given time, the certification body will be suspended and loose its FSC accreditation.

If I have a complaint about an FSC certificate, what should I do and who should I speak to?

FSC has an official Complaints and Disputes Procedure which is designed to help stakeholders make their concerns known and to find the best way of resolving complaints.

This can be resolved on different levels within the FSC system and we encourage people to take a stepwise approach and hope that most complaints can be resolved in this way. FSC developed a fact sheet that explains this procedure very well. This procedure is currently being revised to improve its application.

If a stakeholder, for example an environmental NGO, is concerned about how a certified forest or a forest in the process of certification is managed, they should contact the forest manager, the certification body and/or the FSC National Initiative. They should explain their concerns, listen to the explanation and try to come to a solution. This is often the fastest and easiest way to solve a problem.

If a certificate holder is not fully compliant, they are required to make the prescribed changes within a given timeframe or else it will loose its FSC certificate. This could be a temporary suspension where it cannot trade with the FSC claim, or immediate termination depending on the severity of non-compliance.

If a stakeholder still has concerns, this could be related to the certification audit itself (i.e. the process in which a forest was certified or the activities of a certification body) or the quality of FSC's standards.

In the former case, the stakeholder should file a complaint directly to the certification body. In the later case, the complaint should be filed to the FSC National Initiative who developed the standards. FSC standards are reviewed every 5 years so complaints can feed into the standards review consultation process.

If the stakeholder is concerned with the quality of an FSC accredited certification body, they should contact Accreditation Services International (ASI) who is managing FSC's accreditation program. This often leads to additional audits of certification bodies by ASI to ensure that they are compliant with FSC's standards.

If the certification body is not fully compliant, they are required to make the prescribed changes within a given timeframe or else it will loose its FSC accreditation. This could be a temporary suspension resulting in the suspension of all certificates it has issued and a ban to make any new contracts, or the immediate loss of FSC accredited status. This depends on the severity of their non-compliance.

All FSC certified forest operations, certification bodies and National Initiatives have a system for managing and responding to complaints. These are in line with FSC and ISO standards.

The list of FSC accredited certification bodies does not include an address for my country. What do I do?

The list contains the contact details for the main offices. It does not include local offices. Please contact the certification body directly for information on certification in your country.

How does FSC control its certification bodies?

Accreditation Services International (ASI), manages the FSC accreditation program. It conducts an office audit and the witnessing of one trial audit in the field. If the certification body is compliant to FSC standards, it will gain FSC accreditation. One such requirement is that all FSC accredited certification bodies have to be in compliance with relevant international ISO standard (ISO/IEC Guide 65: 1996 (E)).

Every year ASI controls the continued implementation of FSC rules and procedures through at least one office and one field audit for each FSC accredited certification body. The exact number and distribution of ASI surveillance audits is calculated based on ASI’s sampling procedure taking into account complex settings (geographic areas, policies or products that carry increased risk) and the number of FSC certificates handled by a FSC accredited certification body. Summaries of ASI surveillance audits are publicly available on the ASI website.

If an FSC accredited certification body is found to not fully comply with FSC rules and procedures, Corrective Action Requests (CAR) are raised. These must be fulfilled within a certain time frame. Depending on the seriousness of the infringement, the time line can vary from one year for minor administrative infringements to three months or less for major infringements. If the certification body fails to comply with FSC requirements within the given time, the certification body will be suspended and loose its FSC accreditation.