SOURCING FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) MATERIAL
Please see I12 Wood Sourcing for clarifications regarding FSC lumber and wood products.
FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) PROJECT CERTIFICATION
In 2019, the Forest Stewardship Council revised their Chain of Custody standard for Project Certification. FSC Project Certification can be used for virtually any type of project, including new construction, renovation of existing buildings, and infrastructure projects. FSC Project Certification may be issued for a single project or on a continual basis, for entities engaged in multiple or successive projects. In either case, the FSC Project Certification structure requires that a project manager (either from in-house or a consultant) choose an outside Certification Body (Auditor) to put in place a system of organizing and verifying documents relating to purchases of FSC-certified timber by all contractors and subcontractors working on the project(s). To be compliant, the project’s owner, architect, contractor, or other person managing all wood purchases for the project must be FSC-certified – providing the final link in the FSC Chain of Custody (COC).
All FSC-certified material must be purchased from FSC-certified companies with the requisite claims included on the invoice. As with any FSC Chain of Custody certification, all relevant personnel involved in the project certification process will need training in awareness of the requirements:
- How to specify FSC timber
- How to locate and use only FSC certified suppliers
- How to verify that FSC timber has been supplied
- What to do if non-FSC timber is delivered
There are three possible levels of FSC Project Certification, all of which are valid for the duration of the project. Only the first two, Full Certification and Percentage Claims, are possible compliance pathways for achieving the requirement of this Imperative.
- Full Certification: All forest-based materials and products used in the project are valid FSC claim-contributing inputs (including wood that is FSC 100%, FSC Mix Credit, FSC Mix XX%, FSC Recycled Credit, FSC Recycled XX%, post-consumer reclaimed wood.). Up to 2% of the wood-based project inputs may be non-certified and non-controlled wood as long as they are not visible in the final project. These requirements can also apply to wood used in the construction phase.
- Percentage Claims: Claims can be made about a percentage of forest-based materials used in the final project that are valid FSC claim contributing inputs. The remaining forest-based materials must be pre-consumer reclaimed wood, controlled material, and/or FSC Controlled Wood. There is no minimum percentage to receive certification from FSC. However, to meet the requirements of this Imperative, a project must meet FSC Percentage Claim with a minimum of 70%.
- FSC claims on specific project components: Claims made on specific components that are FSC-certified (for example, all windows are FSC-certified).
