FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification tracks FSC certified materials through the production process to the sales department. FSC's products may contain some or a percentage of materials that are not fully certified. The need to allow the inclusion of non-certified materials has arisen because of the lack of sufficient FSC feedstock supplies, and the fact that certain products have not yet been included in the FSC category. FSC Chain of Custody tracks FSC-certified materials through the production process – from forest to consumer, through the entire continuum of processing, conversion, manufacturing and distribution. Only products that comply with the FSC Chain of Custody certification requirements can be affixed with the FSC logo. As such, the FSC label creates a link between responsible production and consumption, enabling consumers to make environmentally and socially responsible purchasing decisions. Yujie believes that FSC Chain of Custody certification can help your business improve market access in regions where environmental awareness is growing. It shows that you take the environmental concerns of your customers and employees seriously. In addition, Chain of Custody certification can demonstrate that you have followed public or private procurement policies and norms, such as the EU Furniture Ecolabel Scheme, or the US Green Energy and Environmental Building Certification System.

Requirements for applying for FSC COC certification

According to the nature and proportion of raw material input, it is possible to apply for full FSC product, mixed FSC product and circular FSC product mark. The requirements of each mark are inconsistent. Generally speaking, FSC requires that the raw materials of products bearing the FSC mark not only ensure a certain proportion of FSC products, but also ensure that the source of other raw materials is "controllable". See the relevant guidelines for specific requirements.

The basic requirements are as follows:

(1) Product identification. This is the most important part of certification, providing real proof and clear records that the raw materials of forest products come from certified forests.

(2) Product differentiation. In order to avoid product confusion, measures must be taken to clearly distinguish certified raw materials and their forest products from non-certified products during transport and storage. For example, during the transportation process, the certified products are guaranteed to be transported separately; during the product storage process, the certified raw materials and products are stored separately; during the processing process, a special production line is used to produce the same product.

(3) Document records. Preservation of documents and records is essential. Each record must be clear to facilitate the identification of the product concerned. Typically, these documents should be computerized and records should be stored in electronic databases. Documents and records to be used extensively in Chain of Custody include:

★Documents related to harvesting, including forest harvesting volume, harvesting license, sales records and inspection records;

★Transportation records, including loading and unloading records, transportation licenses, transportation tax bills, loading information and customs documents;

★Process records, such as purchase records, reserve records, purchase and sale documents, batch records.

Basic requirements for COC certification

Simply put, COC certification is to ensure that the company's product raw materials come from certified forests. In general, conducting a chain of custody assessment requires the following:

★The company has verified the source of FSC certified (wood) materials, has purchased certified raw materials or is in the process of purchasing.

★The company has established a process including purchase/sale of certified products, calculation of mixing ratio of certified and non-certified materials (if required), storage (if required), product combination (if required), employee training and management, labeling/ Marketing Guidelines Control System.

★The company has established a tracking and reporting system for the input and output from the procurement of certified raw materials to the sale of finished products.