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New Standards for FSC Controlled Wood Certification
18 December 2006
Two new FSC Controlled Wood standards are valid as of January 1st. Forest operations and primary enterprises will need to comply with the revised standards already by 1st of January 2007, while secondary manufacturers as well as small enterprises shall comply by 1st of January 2008.
The new standards are the following:
NEPCon has been a member of the FSC Technical Working Group responsible for revising the Controlled Wood standards. We consider the new versions significantly improved compared t
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o version 1.0. The structure has become more logical and the wording clearer, while there are only few changes in the actual requirements. The main changes in requirements will ensure more efficient control to ensure that controversial sources are avoided, including more strict requirements for the documentation of the wood’s origin.
Major changes to the standard for companies
Major changes in the standard FSC-STD-40-005 are:
1. 1. The FSC-STD-30-010 is not linked anymore with the FSC-STD-40-005. The FSC-STD-30-010 is for forest managers only while FSC-STD-40-005 is for companies who are trading or using controlled wood for manufacturing. Companies certified according to FSC-STD-40-005 do not need to consider the FSC-STD-30-010 any longer.
2. The term “high risk area" is removed from the standards. Instead, FSC is using the term “low risk areas" for which there are reduced requirements for verification of documentation related to controlled wood
3. Companies trading or manufacturing products with FSC Controlled Wood need either to buy wood that is already certified as “FSC Controlled Wood” or be able to trace the wood back to the property or site where it is harvested.
4. The standards are open for national interpretation. In countries with FSC endorsed National Initiatives, these may provide guidance related to the standards or their local interpretation. Such guidance, once prepared by national initiatives, is obligatory to follow for certificate holders. (STD-40-005 13.3)
5. The standard includes a new section which specifically sets requirements for sales documents and marking of FSC controlled wood. (STD-40-004 15; Annex IV).Requirements for risk assessment and company evaluation are changed.
The following points are only applicable for companies implementing their own verification program. Companies purchasing wood from suppliers that already have a controlled “wood certificate” needs only to check the validity of the certificate and ensure correct information in the purchase documents.
6. It is now required to request documentation which proves the origin of the material, regardless of the risk level. Furthermore it is also required that company establishes an auditing system and check that the information on the documentation is correct on regular bases regardless of the risk status (STD-40-005 8.1).
7. Requirements for risk assessment and company evaluation are changed. There are more detailed references to various sources regarding risk evaluation. For existing clients, the auditors will during the 2007 audit review the risk assessment and evaluate the compliance with the new requirements (Annex II).
8. Version 2 now specifically requires that the risk assessment performed by the company is made publicly available (for companies who have a homepage already, this would logically mean posting the risk assessment on their homepage). (STD-40-005 11.2)
9. The standard now specifically requires that certification body shall check the quality of the company verification systems, including field visits of the company audits. This means that the certifier has to participate and observe some of the audits performed by companies in regions which have not been confirmed as low risk. (STD-40-005 Annex III 1.13 and standard point 13.1).
10. The standard now requires companies to develop and implement a written procedure for a mechanist to deal with complaints from external parties (STD-40-005 14).
11. For companies who are doing audits in areas not confirmed as low risk, are also advise do review part B of Annex 3, where some of the aspects to check during audits have changed.
This new version of the FSC Controlled Wood standards incorporates recommendations from four technical working group meetings held in 2005 and 2006. It was further developed with input from stakeholder consultation processes.
Time schedule for enforcement of the revised FSC Controlled Wood Standards
FSC-STD-30-010 V2-0: FSC Controlled Wood
standard for forest management enterprises |
1st of January 2007 |
FSC-STD-40-005 V2-0: Standard for
company evaluation of FSC Controlled Wood
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1st of January 2007 for primary
manufacturers
1st of January 2008 for secondary
manufacturers as well as small enterprises*.
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*According to FSC small enterprises are companies that:
i. have no more than 15 employees (including full time, part time, and seasonal staff), OR ii. have no more than 25 employees and an annual turnover of less than US$1,000,000.
Companies already certified according to the FSC Controlled Wood standards will be evaluated according to the new requirements during the ordinary annual audits in 2007.
What is controlled wood?
The term ‘FSC Controlled Wood’ was created by FSC in 2004 to define criteria of ‘unacceptable’ wood. The first version of the controlled wood standards were developed and endorsed in 2004. The main aim of the standards is to allow FSC certified companies to buy and supply non-FSC certified wood which had been controlled to avoid:
- illegally harvested wood;
- wood harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights;
- wood harvested in forests in which high conservation values are threatened by management activities;
- wood harvested in forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use and wood from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted.
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