FSC Releases Four New Chain of Custody Interpretations

Submitted: The Two Sides Team June 9, 2013

On April 23, 2013, FSC released four new Chain of Custody standard interpretations. Interpretations are provided by FSC when an element within the standard requires further clarification. By providing official interpretations of the standards, FSC maintains consistent application of the standard throughout the certification processes.
Forest
Stewardship Council – June 6, 2013

On April 23, 2013, FSC released four new Chain of Custody standard interpretations.

Interpretations are provided by FSC when an element within the standard requires further clarification. By providing official interpretations of the standards, FSC maintains consistent application of the standard throughout the certification processes.

The Standard Interpretations are official interpretations made by the FSC Policy and Standards Unit to be applied in certification processes. All Standard Interpretations can be found at the FSC Standards Interpretation webpage here.

The first two new standard interpretations are related to the Chain of Custody standard (FSC-STD-40-004 V2-1), and the interpretations provide clarity about how output claims are allowed under certain conditions.

The first interpretation clarifies that the output claim of FSC Mix 100% is allowed on sales and delivery documents only.

The second interpretation provides a table that identifies under the transfer system what the correct output claim is according to the inputs.

The third and fourth new standard interpretations relate to the Accreditation Standard for Chain of Custody Evaluations (FSC-STD-20-011 V1-1).

The third interpretation explains that there are exceptions to Clause 2.2.1 that specifies the criteria for high-risk outsourcing (see links below for specific exceptions).

The fourth interpretation clarifies that desk audits are acceptable for loggers who do not have a log yard. A desk audit is conducted over the phone as opposed to an on-site evaluation.

For questions, please contact Lori Knosalla, FSC US Chain of Custody Manager, at l.knosalla@us.fsc.org.