Monday, 16 September 2013
National eligibility criteria for group Chain of Custody certificates under review
© George C Gress - The Nature Conservancy
September 16, 2013
FSC created group Chain of Custody (CoC) certification to increase access to FSC for small companies. It was designed to reduce the costs of certification by allowing small companies to join together as members of a single CoC certificate instead of seeking individual certification.
From the outset, FSC has recognized the difficulty of defining what a “small” company is, and creating eligibility criteria for small companies that work on an global scale, given the variations in local economic and social conditions.
FSC created a procedure (FSC-PRO-40-002_V1-0) that provides National Offices with direction for reviewing and proposing nation-specific eligibility requirements for group CoC certification. FSC US undertook this process and submitted a proposal to FSC International to change the group CoC eligibility requirements in the US to allow any business with annual forest product sales less than $5,000,000 to be eligible for group CoC certification. FSC International approved our proposal in 2010.
Based on the revised eligibility criteria in the US, group CoC certification has allowed many small companies access to FSC certification. However, some stakeholders have criticized the group CoC model, stating that the level of oversight within some groups may be insufficient compared to individual certificates.
In addition, loggers and logging industry representatives have asked FSC to reconsider the existing cap and its effect on “small” companies in the logging sector.
FSC US has recently received direction from the US Board of Directors to begin a review and analysis of the risks and benefits associated with changes to the group eligibility criteria, particularly changes aimed at the logging sector.
In June 2013, FSC US began the process of reviewing the current eligibility requirements for group Chain of Custody certification, which includes identifying and interviewing key stakeholders in the US. These stakeholders include current Group CoC certificate managers and members, Certification Bodies, logging operations (both FSC certified and non-certified), and logger associations.
FSC US will prepare a concept paper for the FSC US Board of Directors to consider during their next regularly scheduled board meeting in October 2013. The Board will determine whether or not FSC US should proceed with a proposal to change group COC eligibility requirements. Any proposal that is drafted will be sent to FSC US stakeholders for consultation prior to submission to FSC International.
Please see the PDF below for an overview of the estimated timeline for review and possible development of a proposal to FSC International.