Forest and Chain of Custody certification enables consumers to make informed purchasing choices, giving them confidence that the certified products they purchase have come from forests t
Trang 1demonstrating environmental leadership and product stewardship
FOresT mAnAGer PrimAry PrOCessOr seCOnDAry PrOCessOr
3 WHOlesAlers | 3 merCHAnTs | 3 reTAilers | 3 PuBlisHers |
TimBer Chain of Custody
Certification
product tracking from the forest to the consumer
Forest Manager Processor Primary Secondary Processor Seller
Trang 2Forest and Chain of Custody certification enables consumers to make informed purchasing choices, giving them confidence that the certified products they purchase have come from forests that have been managed in accordance with a certification standard that meets specified management criteria This brochure explains the concept of Chain of Custody certification for timber products in Australia and how easy it is to implement it into your business
Chain of Custody (CoC)
Chain of Custody refers to all the steps in the process of taking certified products from the forest, through the various manufacturing and distribution stages and ultimately to the point where the final consumer purchases the product This includes manufacture, trading, broking, wholesaling and retailing Importantly, the Chain of Custody includes all steps of ownership, not just those involving physical possession
Certifying the Chain of Custody
The concept behind certification of the Chain of Custody is to:
• describe (in the form of a documented ‘standard’) the requirements expected at each stage in the process, and
• provide recognition of an organisation’s compliance with the ‘standard’ through a system of accredited, independent third party certification
For a product to be labelled as being made from certified material or to have claims regarding forest management, there must be an unbroken chain of certified organisations covering every change in legal ownership of the product from the point labels are applied or claims are made (which may be the retailer or the manufacturer) right back to the certified forest
Note: Transport companies do not generally have legal ownership of products and so do not require separate certification.
Chain of Custody certification in Australia is available through two schemes:
• the Australian Forest Certification Scheme (AFCS), and
• the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) program
AFCS and FSC have developed their own ‘standards’ – documents that set down the requirements that each enterprise in the supply chain needs to meet in order to protect the integrity of the claim that “products are from certified forests”
Using these standards individual companies within the supply chain are able to implement a Chain of Custody system within their own operations Once implemented, the final step is actual “certification” which then allows supply chain companies to label and advertise their involvement within the certified scheme
Timber
Chain of Custody Certification
There is growing awareness of certification in the marketplace for forest products and an increasing desire by consumers to support sustainable forest management
by buying certified products.
Chain of Custody certification enables companies to:
• identify and control their sources of certified, non-certified and recycled timber;
• demonstrate to their customers the environmental integrity of their products; and
• use the relevant trademarks, labels and claims to promote the social and
environmental qualities of their products to the market.
CONSUMER
CoC CERTIFICATE Assumes retailer adds own labels/claims
RETAILER
FOREST
MANAGEMENT
CERTIFICATE
FOREST SAWMILL
CoC CERTIFICATE Assumes logs purchased
at stump, timber delivered
CoC CERTIFICATE Assumes timber delivered
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR
CoC CERTIFICATE Assumes furniture delivered
FURNITURE FACTORY
Example of a fully certified chain of custody (furniture)
Trang 31 QuAliTy sysTems: Addresses the company’s internal procedures, staff
Companies need to have: FsC AFCs Policies
Management policies covering – certification claims, integrity of the CoC system, compliance with laws and/or regulations, recognition of collective bargaining rights and continuous improvement No
Documented procedures Documented procedures for all aspects of its Chain of Custody activities, including staff assignment of task responsibilities. 3 3
responsibilities A single person is assigned overall responsibility for the CoC system and all key staff know and understand their responsibilities. 3 3
scope of the system A publicly available schedule of certified products 3 No
Training
• All staff at an appropriate level of skill and competency to implement CoC responsibilities
• Training is provided where required
records Detailed records of all aspects of CoC system implementation Records are retained for a minimum of five years. 3 3
Continuous improvement Mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement of their CoC system No 3
internal audits Internal audits of CoC system and implement corrective actions to address non-conformities. No 3
Occupational health and
safety OH&S policies that meet applicable laws and/or regulations. No2 3 Final inspection A final inspection of certified products prior to distributing to next link No 3
Certifying the Chain of Custody –
sellers
If, for example, a retailer wants to add its own labelling or claims (for instance in promotional material) above and beyond that applied by certified organisations further up the supply chain, the retailer is required to obtain certification
If, on the other hand, the retailer simply wanted to stock and sell certified material that had been packaged by the (certified) manufacturer and make no additional claims about the products and did not attach its own labels, there would be no need for the retailer to be certified The end consumer could make an informed decision based on the labelling and/or claims already made by the manufacturer and demonstrated through the manufacturers own packaging or product information
In regards to simply selling a product, certification requirements are much more straightforward than they are for processors and manufacturers
Once a timber product is in its final form, controlling and verifying the Chain of Custody is a much simpler task Products are mostly packaged in some way, greatly assisting storage and identification As merchants and retailers often deal with products from a wide range of manufacturers, maintenance of the paper trail and product identification and labelling become the Chain of Custody activities
Companies seeking to obtain Chain of Custody certification are required to demonstrate that they meet a series of
requirements under five separate components:
Enterprises that do not transform paper or timber products, rather they simply sell them - be they wholesalers, timber merchants, product retailers or publishers – may also be required to obtain Chain of Custody certification.
1 FSC has policy commitment requirements with respect to the purchase of controlled wood.
The FSC standard does not address occupational health and safety issues However, some certification bodies have introduced their own basic health and safety requirements.
1
QUALITY
SYSTEMS
2
MATERIAL SOURCING
3
PRODUCTION CONTROLS
4
TRANSACTION DOCUMENTATION
5
LABELLING
Though the scope of both the AFCS and FSC schemes is essentially the same it should be noted that neither scheme recognises certified material from the other scheme as a legitimate certified source Companies that wish to support both schemes will therefore require separate Chain of Custody certification
Fortunately, the requirements of the FSC and AFCS standards are highly similar, minimising additional requirements on companies keen to pursue both schemes.
Trang 42 mATeriAl sOurCinG: Deals with identifying the wood that goes into a certified
product – a fundamental concept of Chain of Custody. reQuiremenT
Companies need to: FsC AFCs receipt and storage of material Verify and record quantities of materials and store certified material separately to non-certified material. 3 3
3 PrODuCTiOn COnTrOls: Addresses the company’s requirements in terms of
Production controls are not relevant at this point in the supply chain for Chain of Custody certification
4 TrAnsACTiOn DOCumenTATiOn: Accurate documentation ensures that the Chain of Custody is
maintained from one company to the next
Companies need to:
sales invoices
Record the following information:
• Date;
• Name and address of buyer;
• Description of certified products sold;
• Type of certified products (FSC – Pure, Mixed, certified %) (AFCS – category of input material’s origin,
% certified raw material);
• Quantity of certified products sold;
• Cross-reference to shipping documents (if invoiced separately); and
• Chain of Custody certificate number
3 3 3 3
3 3 3
3
No3
3 3
3 3 3
shipping documentation Ensure if products shipped separately to invoice, that shipping documents contain same set of details required of invoices. 3 3
sales records
Ensure that sales records include:
• quantities of certified products sold and that these records are kept; and
• the names of buyers
3 3
3
No3
5 lABellinG:Allows certified product to be branded and recognised by the market.
Companies need to:
labelling rules Conform with the relevant rules based on the materials used in the product. 3 3
The Australian taxation system, though use of ABNs and the GST, covers the provision of this information on an invoice.
Trang 5Frequently asked questions for
sellers
Who needs Chain of Custody certification?
Sawmillers, manufacturers of wood products, wholesalers,
importers, retailers, builders, printers – in fact, all those
supply chain organisations that want to advertise their
products as certified or whose customers request certified
products
if i’m a seller receiving branded certified
products do i need Chain of Custody
certification?
If you simply want to stock and sell certified material that
has been packaged by a (certified) manufacturer and make
no additional claims about the products and do not attach
your own labels, then there would be no need for you to
be certified The end consumer could make an informed
decision based on the labelling and/or claims already
made by the manufacturer and demonstrated through the
manufacturers own packaging or product information
What if i want to promote the fact that i
sell certified products and use the brands
in my promotional programs?
Then you will need Chain of Custody certification for your
company
What are the benefits of certification?
Certification satisfies the requirements of those customers
who wish to purchase certified products - there appears
to be an emerging trend in the use of new environmentally
based design specifications, these generally require timber
products to be certified Certification also provides added
value to the products you sell, giving them a verifiable
environmental and social quality and it demonstrates that
your company takes the environmental concerns of its staff
and customers seriously
How much will the process cost?
Costs vary according to the nature of the operation, but
comprise two components:
1 Certifier costs – costs of main assessment and annual
surveillance audits For a single site operation, the main
assessment cost is likely to be in the range $1,500 to
$3000 Costs for annual surveillance audits will be less
– around 60% of main assessment costs
2 Licence/logo use fees to AFCS or FSC – these are
based on turnover (for AFCS a <$10million turnover,
issuance fee is $55 and annual fee is $2500) Annual FSC
accreditation fees also vary by turnover – for a company
with annual turnover between US$5 million and 25 million,
the annual fee is US$400
Costs above are indicative and may be subject to change;
contact an Accredited Certifier for a quotation
Can i have single certification for a business that operates on multiple sites?
Yes, multi-site certification is available
How long will the actual certification process take?
Assuming that your procedures are in place and there are
no major non-conformances identified, a period of one to three months from accepting a quote from a certifier should
be sufficient For single site operations, a site assessment will normally last 1-2 days
How long does my Chain of Custody certificate last – how often do i have to be re-audited?
Your Chain of Custody certificate lasts for five years under FSC and three under AFCS The schemes require a process of annual surveillance audits
What happens if i buy both AFCs and FsC certified timber and i want to promote certified products?
If you buy both AFCS and FSC certified timber and you want
to claim and promote certification on the timber you on-sell, then you would have to undertake both AFCS and FSC Chain of Custody certification and undertake the appropriate processes in compliance with these standards
Can i un-package AFCs and FsC certified products and re-bundle them into new job lots?
Yes However, you can only claim AFCS status for products sold that are produced from material inputs that are AFCS certified and the same applies for FSC – products sold as FSC certified must be derived from FSC certified inputs Each scheme requires that material certified under the other scheme is treated as uncertified For products that contain both, each scheme has minimum percentage requirements that must be met for the products to be sold as certified
Chain of Custody certification for your timber products is a simple process easily integrated with good business practices.
Trang 6For most companies with established product and accounting processes the
implementation of Chain of Custody certification is both simple and straight-forward Basic steps include:
GuidES iN THiS SEriES
ANd A Full rEporT ArE
AvAilABlE From
www.fwpa.com.au
Certifying Chain of Custody
for Timber
The consumer demand for certified timber products is growing rapidly Chain of Custody certification is the process that allows consumers to be confident that the timber products that they purchase come from well-managed forests
Internal procedures, staff responsibilities and record keeping
Processes that clearly identify the wood that goes into a certified product
Accounting for the company’s monthly records of production
Tracking products through sales invoice and transportation documents
Branding certified product which allows clear market recognition
1 QUALITY SYSTEMS
2 MATERIAL SOURCING
3 PRODUCTION CONTROLS
4 TRANSACTION DOCUMENTATION
5 LABELLING
For further information or contact details for accredited certifiers, refer to:
Australian Forest Certification Scheme
www.forestrystandard.org.au
T (02) 6281 3455
E afs@forestrystandard.org.au
Forest Stewardship Council www.fscaustralia.org
T (03) 8636 2661
E info@fscaustralia.org For further information or contact details for accredited certifiers, refer to:
Are
yOu
reADy?