What Is FSC Certification?

FSC certification, issued under the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, is a voluntary environmental certification system focused on responsible forest management and the traceability of forest-based materials.

Unlike other ESG certifications, which may address corporate management systems, emissions, or product environmental performance, FSC focuses specifically on forest management and the chain of custody of certified materials.

The system establishes standards covering environmental, social, and economic aspects of forest management. Compliance with these requirements is assessed by independent certification bodies.

To understand how FSC certification works, it is important to distinguish between two main types:

Forest Management Certification: applies to organizations responsible for managing forests and verifies compliance with the relevant FSC forest management standards.

Chain of Custody Certification (FSC CoC): applies to companies that purchase, process, or trade forest-based materials and wish to maintain FSC claims throughout the supply chain.

Chain of Custody certification is particularly relevant for manufacturers. A packaging producer, for example, can purchase FSC-certified paper and convert it into boxes or other packaging products while maintaining the applicable FSC claims.

Chain of Custody certification can also support supplier assessment processes, where companies need to collect and verify information about raw materials, supplier certifications, and their validity.

FSC certification for wood, paper, and cardboard is associated with three main types of product labels:

FSC 100%: identifies products made from materials sourced from FSC-certified forests. It is used to demonstrate the sourcing of certified virgin forest materials.

FSC Mix: identifies products that meet FSC requirements for the use of certified, recycled, and/or controlled materials. The claim depends on the applicable control system and does not necessarily indicate a fixed percentage of certified material in an individual product.

FSC Recycled: identifies products made from 100% recycled materials according to FSC standards, using reclaimed materials from pre-consumer or post-consumer sources. In the paper and cardboard industry, this certification helps document the use of recycled fibres.

Understanding these labels is important for companies that need to document the characteristics of purchased materials. An FSC Mix claim, for example, should not automatically be treated as equivalent to FSC 100% or FSC Recycled.

Companies can verify certification details through the official FSC certificate database, checking certificate status, scope, and consistency with the FSC claims included in supplier documentation.

FSC vs PEFC: what are the differences?

FSC and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) are two internationally recognized forest certification systems. Both establish requirements for sustainable forest management, provide Chain of Custody certification, and rely on independent certification bodies.

Their main difference lies in how their standards are developed.

FSC uses internationally defined principles and criteria implemented through forest management standards applicable to specific territories. PEFC, on the other hand, endorses national forest certification systems that meet its international requirements.

How widespread is FSC certification globally?

According to FSC figures for the end of 2025, approximately 173 million hectares of forest were FSC-certified worldwide, with nearly 70,000 Chain of Custody certificates covering more than 105,000 production sites.

Europe accounted for approximately 38% of FSC-certified forest area, followed by North America at 35% and Latin America at 11%.

The distribution of Chain of Custody certificates tells a different story. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for more than half of global FSC CoC certificates, reflecting the importance of certification in international manufacturing and processing supply chains.

These figures illustrate the global reach of FSC certification and its relevance beyond forest management, particularly for businesses purchasing paper, packaging, furniture, and other forest-based products.

Both FSC and PEFC operate internationally, although their adoption varies by country, industry, and supply chain.

For companies, choosing between FSC and PEFC depends on customer requirements, the availability of certified materials, and the characteristics of their sourcing networks. Both systems can support supplier qualification, provided that certificates are valid and cover the relevant products.

Neither certification automatically demonstrates compliance with EUDR or PPWR requirements.

FSC certification and PPWR: how does it support packaging compliance?

Regulation (EU) 2025/40, known as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), establishes a new European regulatory framework for packaging and packaging waste.

The PPWR has applied since 12 August 2026, with additional requirements becoming applicable according to subsequent deadlines.

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation introduces PPWR packaging requirements concerning packaging design, material composition, recyclability, and compliance documentation for products placed on the EU market.

Although it is an EU regulation, its implications extend to international businesses supplying packaging or packaged products to the European market.

For companies producing or using paper and cardboard packaging, FSC certification can provide evidence about the sourcing of forest-based fibres and the claims associated with purchased materials.

A manufacturer of cardboard boxes, for example, may use FSC-certified board and maintain its traceability through a certified Chain of Custody system. This helps document specific raw material characteristics and respond to customer requests concerning responsible sourcing.

However, PPWR compliance also depends on technical requirements that forest certification does not assess.

Recyclability: the PPWR establishes packaging recyclability requirements, with technical criteria and assessment methods introduced progressively. Design-for-recycling requirements apply from 2030 or a later date determined by the relevant delegated acts. FSC certification provides information about forest-based materials but does not demonstrate the recyclability of the finished packaging.

Packaging minimisation: companies must consider requirements to minimise packaging weight and volume while maintaining its necessary functions, according to the applicable deadlines.

Material composition: packaging must comply with applicable restrictions on substances and other requirements relevant to its specific category.

Compliance documentation: manufacturers must prepare the assessments and technical information required to demonstrate conformity with the applicable provisions.

An important supply chain provision is included in Article 16 of the PPWR, which establishes information obligations for suppliers of packaging and packaging materials.

Suppliers must provide manufacturers with the information and documentation needed to demonstrate product compliance, including relevant technical information.

FSC Recycled certification also needs to be interpreted carefully. It can document the use of recycled materials according to FSC standards, but it does not replace regulatory assessments concerning the composition and recyclability of the finished product.

To manage these requirements, companies should associate each packaging reference with its material certifications, technical specifications, composition data, and conformity assessments.

A structured packaging compliance management system can help organise this information, particularly when a business manages multiple packaging formats, suppliers, and markets.

FSC Certification and EUDR: how does it support due diligence?

The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), also known as the European Union Deforestation Regulation, is established by Regulation (EU) 2023/1115.

The EUDR regulation governs the placing on the EU market and export of certain commodities and derived products associated with deforestation and forest degradation risks.

Wood is one of the commodities covered, together with relevant derived products listed in Annex I of the regulation.

In addition to wood and relevant wood-derived products, EUDR covers commodities such as cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, and soy, together with certain derived products. However, FSC certification is primarily relevant to forest-based supply chains.

The EUDR deadlines have been delayed following amendments introduced by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650. The updated application dates are:

• 30 December 2026: for medium-sized and large companies, as well as micro and small enterprises already covered by the previous EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).

• 30 June 2027: for most other micro and small enterprises.

The obligations depend on a company's role in the supply chain.

Operators placing relevant products on the EU market for the first time are subject to the due diligence requirements established by the regulation, while downstream operators and traders have different obligations.

The amendments introduced in 2025 simplified certain requirements for downstream operators and traders.

Therefore, when addressing EUDR compliance, companies must first identify their regulatory role and determine which products fall within the regulation's scope.

FSC certification can support EUDR due diligence through supply chain control procedures and the documentation associated with certified materials.

To help businesses address the regulation, FSC has developed FSC Aligned for EUDR, a set of tools designed to support alignment with EUDR requirements.

These include the FSC Regulatory Module, a voluntary additional module that integrates FSC certification requirements with procedures covering information collection, risk assessment, and due diligence data management.

In August 2026, FSC published version 1.1 of the module, which became effective on 17 August 2026.

Additional tools include FSC Risk Hub, which provides information to support sourcing risk assessments, and FSC Trace, developed to facilitate information exchange and traceability throughout supply chains.

For a company sourcing timber from several countries, these tools can help organise supplier data and support verification activities.

FSC certification does not constitute EUDR certification and does not automatically guarantee compliance with the regulation. Legal obligations remain those established for each category of operator.

For operators subject to due diligence requirements, EUDR documentation includes information about product origin, the geolocation of production plots, the production period, and evidence needed to demonstrate compliance with relevant legislation.

These operators must also assess the risk of non-compliance and, where necessary, implement measures to reduce that risk to a negligible level.

Companies required to submit an EUDR due diligence statement must follow the applicable procedures and use the EU information system in accordance with their legal obligations.

Simplified procedures are available for certain categories, including qualifying micro and small primary operators.

For example, a manufacturer sourcing wooden components from FSC-certified suppliers may still need additional information about raw material origins and the checks performed. The nature of these requests depends on the company's regulatory role and the products involved.

For international supply chains, this means that certification documents, geographic data, supplier information, and due diligence records must be connected to the relevant products and kept up to date.

From FSC certification to corporate compliance management

FSC and PEFC certification can support companies in supplier qualification and the traceability of forest-based materials. To use these certifications effectively in regulatory compliance processes, businesses need to connect certified information with product-specific requirements.

For PPWR, this means combining forest certification data with packaging technical specifications, recyclability assessments, and conformity documentation.

For EUDR, it involves managing raw material origin information, geographic data, and due diligence checks according to the obligations applicable to each supply chain operator.

When documentation is distributed across procurement, quality, sustainability, and supplier teams, identifying expired certificates, missing information, and outstanding checks becomes more difficult.

Centralising information makes it easier to connect certifications, data, and documents to the relevant products and suppliers, while maintaining a record of completed activities.

Metrikflow supports companies in organising sustainability and supply chain information and coordinating activities across departments, helping teams maintain structured documentation for regulatory requirements such as EUDR and PPWR.