Before using “FSC” on a packaging page, connect the forest-based components, supplier, processing site, certificate scope, transaction documents and web wording in one record. FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) is a system for identifying, tracing and communicating forest-based material through the supply chain. It is not an automatic claim that the whole product is sustainable, accepted in every market or covered by every regulation.
This reference page focuses on FSC packaging records. The usable claim for a specific case depends on the certificate holder, product group, transaction documents, label or trademark permissions and applicable FSC requirements.
1. Define the packaging review unit
Map the SKU, packaging component, material, supplier, processing site, selling entity and target page. A carton, paper bag, paper card, corrugated board and wood component may fall into different product groups. Plastic, metal, ink and adhesive are not automatically covered by an FSC statement on the package. A supplier certificate should not be extended to every package, site, brand or SKU without checking scope.
If an organisation manufactures, processes, repackages or relabels the product, or makes an FSC claim in sales documents, its relevant CoC coverage depends on those facts. A retailer that only promotes a finished labelled product may follow a different licensing route; the store name or a package image alone is not enough to decide.
2. Check the certificate and public record fields
Record the certificate holder’s legal name, certificate or licence code, certification type, certification body, status, site, product category or product group, relevant paper or wood-based materials, and the actual buying and selling parties. A supplier, brand owner, importer and store operator may be different entities; the document title alone does not prove that a listed package is covered.
Use the official FSC certificate search to check an organisation name, certificate code or licence code, and retain the search date and result record. A public entry helps check identity, status and scope, but it does not replace checking the current SKU, packaging version, invoices, delivery documents and batch records.
3. Keep FSC claim categories separate
FSC 100%, FSC Mix, FSC Recycled and Controlled Wood are different material or product claims. FSC Mix may involve FSC-certified forest material, recycled material and/or Controlled Wood allowed by the rules. Controlled Wood is not another name for material from an FSC-certified forest. Do not replace the precise claim with the vague phrase “FSC packaging,” describe Mix as entirely certified-forest material, or describe Controlled Wood as FSC 100%.
For packaging, confirm whether the claim relates to the package itself, a forest-based component in the package, or the finished product sold with the package. The product group, material composition and wording on sales documents should agree; appearance, a supplier’s verbal statement or an old label version is not sufficient evidence.
4. Match transaction records to the package version
For each batch or transaction, retain purchase orders, invoices, delivery documents, product descriptions, quantities, dates, the supplier certificate code and the applicable FSC claim. Check that the actual packaging materials fall within the product group and that the sales-document claim aligns with the supplier record and the seller’s own scope. An FSC certificate is not a generic green-label document that can stand alone without product and transaction evidence.
When the supplier, processing site, paper or wood component, material mix, package structure, label version or SKU changes, review the product group, transaction records and page wording again. A prior review for an older package does not automatically cover the new version.
5. Keep page and trademark wording within evidence scope
The page should identify the package, the material scope and the precise FSC claim supported by the records, for example, “the relevant paper material for this package was purchased with an FSC Mix claim,” where the current evidence supports that wording. Do not turn FSC evidence into automatic claims of natural, zero-deforestation, sustainable, compliant with every law, or any approval, delisting or clearance outcome.
FSC labels, trademarks and promotional wording are subject to FSC requirements and licensing arrangements. Before adding an official graphic mark, modified label or wording that could make consumers misunderstand the material scope, verify the applicable permission, label version and approval route.
6. Minimum packaging record checklist
Record: (1) the SKU, packaging components and materials; (2) supplier, processing site and selling entity; (3) certificate code, status, product group and certification body; (4) the exact FSC 100%, FSC Mix, FSC Recycled or Controlled Wood category; (5) purchase, delivery and sales documents; (6) versions of packaging, labels, product pages and promotional material; and (7) FSC source links, search date and retained evidence.
绿色方舟（深圳）认证有限公司 may help organise a review table based on the customer’s SKUs, supply chain and evidence files. The availability of a certification, trademark permission or product claim remains determined by the applicable FSC requirements, independent certification body and actual records.
Source basis: FSC Chain of Custody, What the FSC Labels Mean, and FSC Certificate Search. This is a record-review reference and does not replace a legal or certification assessment for a specific product, market or transaction.
