Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification of forest products based on the PEFC system
Chain of Custody (CoC) certification of forest products based on the PEFC system
Brief characterization of the product / service:
CoC stands for Chain of Custody and it is a certification system that was formed in order to protect forests all over the world and to prevent their devastation which unfortunately continues to occur. The holder of the certificate with the PEFC logo documents for the final consumer of wood or forest products that the material for manufacturing these goods has been acquired in forests kept in a sustainable manner and has been acquired in a legal way.
Wood from certified forests goes through a chain of logging, processing, manufacturing, and trading entities before it reaches the final customer. Therefore it is necessary to follow the flow of the raw material so that the origin of the wood may be demonstrated.
The Chain of Custody certificate is a statement made by an independent, qualified, and accredited body. In order to be able to document the origin of the wood of a product, all processing companies, manufacturers, and traders that come into contact with it must possess the certificate.
What legal requirements need to be followed when establishing the system to achieve successful certification?
The whole system and its requirements are described in standardization documents created by the PEFC Council in Luxembourg. These standards have been introduced in the Czech Republic and the standard CS 1004:2006, revision 2, and updated version: revision 3 “Chain-of-Custody of Forest Based Product“ is important for wood processing companies. Information about the system, standards, list of certified entities may be found on the Czech Republic PEFC website: www.pefc.cz
Information on the implementation of Revision 3
- PEFC CZ published Technical Document CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 3 on September 2, 2009
- This revision only slightly modifies parts relating to volume credit (clause 3.4.2.1) – you find the precise wording of the amendment attached or at website www.pefc.cz
- The transformation process of certifications according to CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 2 to CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 3 will be as follows:
- From October 15, 2009 new certificates shall be issued only based on Document CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 3
- Certificates issued based on Document CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 2 will remain in force until the next supervisory or re-certifying audit
- As conclusion: we recommend the transfer on CFCS 1004:2006, Revision 3 within the nearest supervisory audit
News: New technical document is being prepared
At present a new document including the requirements for C-o-C certification is being prepared to replace fully the existing document CFCS 1004:2006. The document can be viewed in English at www.pefc.org under the title PEFC ST 2002:200x
The PEFC Council expects the document to be approved at the General Meeting held in Paris on November 13, 2009.
If it is approved, PEFC CZ will translate the document by the end of 2009 and distribute at the beginning of 2009. The expected transition period for the document will be one year from the release of English version.
The product is intended for:
CoC certification is intended for processing companies, traders, distributors of wood and wood products and possibly of other forest products. Due to the fact that it is a document of origin, it is linked to owners and managers of forests who are certified within the scope of forest certification and the certification process then concerns all those who come into contact with the material from these certified forests and want to document the origin of the raw material to their customers.
Benefits for companies:
• Improvement of internal operations and processes of a company
• Possibility to use the PEFC logo on products, packing, and company documents
• Improved product sales
• Supporting positive image of a company and its credibility
• Possibility to declare to business partners that you possess certification by multinational company TÜV SÜD
• Use of the TÜV SÜD mark – octagon – for promotional purposes
• Utilizing convenient conditions of combined audits - TÜV SÜD Czech provides certification under other standards as well
• Publication of your company in the TÜV SÜD Czech reference list
• Publication of your company in the list of certified companies of the PEFC Council on the website
www.pefc.cz