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FSC

FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council and is a global not-for-profit organization that sets the standards for what is a responsibly managed forest. FSC consults with a global network of environmental, social, and economic members to ensure that forest management standards represent everyone’s needs, from Indigenous Peoples to endangered animal species.

The FSC system is based on two complementary types of certification:

  • Forest Management (FM) certification verifies that forests are managed according to the FSC Principles and Criteria. These requirements cover key environmental, social and economic aspects of forest management, including legal compliance, workers’ rights, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, local communities, environmental values, management planning, monitoring and High Conservation Values.
  • Chain of Custody (CoC) certification provides a system for tracking FSC-certified and other eligible materials as they move through processing, manufacturing and trade. Companies can verify the validity and scope of an FSC certificate directly through the official FSC Search database.

FSC certification is assessed by independent third-party certification bodies, which conduct audits against the applicable FSC standards.

FSC and the EUDR

FSC has developed the FSC Regulatory Module, a voluntary add-on to existing FSC certification designed to support companies in meeting EUDR requirements.

The module introduces additional requirements supporting due diligence, information collection, risk assessment and risk mitigation. It also addresses the collection and transmission of relevant origin information, including geolocation and time of production, and includes controls related to deforestation-free products.

The Regulatory Module can be used within relevant FSC certification scopes, including Forest Management and Chain of Custody, to provide additional information and third-party assurance specifically designed around EUDR requirements. The FSC Regulatory Module and its normative documents are available through the FSC Document Centre.

FSC certification can still support EUDR due diligence even when the voluntary Regulatory Module is not used. Standard FSC certification provides independently verified information on forest management, legality and supply-chain control that can contribute to risk assessment and risk mitigation. However, operators must identify and obtain any additional information required by the EUDR that is not available through the certified supply chain, including where necessary plot-level geolocation, production information and sufficiently detailed information on the supply chain.

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