FSC CoC Wood and fiber Sourcing Requirements

Identifying the wood and fiber that goes into an FSC product is a fundamental component of chain of custody. Material sourcing requirements describe which materials can be include in FSC certified products, what the company’s written specifications for those materials need to contain, and the requirements for receiving and storing these materials.

Material used for FSC certified products must be either :
• FSC Pure
• FSC Mixed
• Post-consumer reclaimed / recycled
• Other reclaimed
• Controlled

All other material (such a glass, metal, plastics, non-wood fiber that comes from outside a forest matrix (such as bagasse or hemp), mineral fillers and chemicals) is not considered.

Categories of FSC material :
FSC Pure : material is 100% FSC material from an FSC certified forest. It has been sold and / or processed by an FSC chain of custody certified company, and has been identified as FSC Pure.
FSC Mixed : material contains a mixture of FSC certified material, reclaimed (recycled) material and or controlled wood. It has been processes by an FSC chain of custody certified company, and has been identified as FSC Mixed. this category replaces the old ’percentage’ category of FSC material.

Non-FSC certified wood can be included in FSC certified products only if it is reclaimed wood or controlled wood.
Post-Consumer Reclaimed : material includes wood ad / or wood fiber has been reclaimed from a product after that product has been used for its intended end-used purpose by individuals or businesses.
Other Reclaimed : material includes wood and / or wood fiber that has been reclaimed from a product, by-product or co-product during or after manufacture. It is reclaimed before the product reaches the end-consumer.

Controlled Wood : is not FSC certified, but is controlled by the company to exclude :
1. Wood from forest areas where traditional or civil rights are violated;
2. Wood from forest where high conservation values are threatened;
3. Wood from genetically modified (GM) trees;
4. Illegally harvested wood;
5. Wood from natural forest which have been harvested for the purpose of converting the land to plantations or other non-forest use.