Several important changes will soon need to be fully phased in by companies maintaining an FSC Chain of Custody certificate.
Below we are offering a summary of the most important changes that certified companies need to be aware of - and a sneak peak at further changes expected in the near future.
New FSC Chain of Custody requirements will be fully phased in by 1 October
The requirements of FSC’s new Chain of Custody standard, FSC-STD-40-004 V.2-1, shall be fully phased in by 1 October, and this will be verified during audits that are conducted after this date. Please note that there are important new requirements and changes in existing requirements:
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The FSC claims used for invoices and transport documents shall look as follows: ”FSC 100 %” (replacing FSC-Pure), ”FSC Mix X %” (replacing ”FSC Mixed X %”) samt ”FSC Mix Credit” (replacing ”FSC Mixed Credit”). These adjustments have been decided in order to align the text used on FSC product labels with the claims used in business-to-business documentation.
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Companies must demonstrate their commitment to FSC’s values by signing a self-declaration form that FSC has developed for this purpose. FSC-certified organisations may not be directly or indirectly associated with unacceptable forms of forestry or with violation of ILO’s core conventions. NEPCon clients will receive the form directly from their auditor prior to the next audit unless they have already signed the form.
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All FSC certificate holders need to have an appointed representative as well as company procedures for occupational health and safety. You must also be able to demonstrate that training for your staff on your health and safety procedures has taken place.
FSC minor components to be phased out end of 2012
FSC is phasing out the option of including minor non-certified components in FSC certified production by the end of this year. If you are using minor components, you need to have a solution in place prior to New Year.
There is no clear answer yet regarding the status of stocks of FSC products with minor components that were produced prior to this date of transition. An FSC draft advice note permits certificate holders to sell any remaining stocks of FSC certified products containing minor components even after 31 December 2012, provided the following statement is added on sales and shipping documents: “The [specify name of the minor component] in this product is not FSC certified”. Please note that the advice note is pending finalisation and may be subject to change. We will inform about the final advice note once it has been published by FSC.
Other pending changes in the FSC system
As you may be aware, FSC is working to address any gaps in comparison to the EU Timber Regulation. This involves revision of the FSC CoC and Controlled Wood systems. Another important initiative is the FSC Online Claims Platform, addressing several challenges of the EU regulation by moving claims and volume control online. This tool will imply changes in the way you will manage claims and volume summaries in the future.