Certified Wood FAQs

Is It Really Eco? Don't Be Fooled

The fact that a company has Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification does not mean that what they sell is FSC certified. Many companies who have FSC "Chain of Custody" (COC) certification, which gives them the right to buy and sell FSC certified wood, don't sell much FSC-certified material at all. This is particularly the case with tropical hardwood suppliers, most notably with flooring products from South America.

To verify the FSC-certified status of a wood product, demand not only the supplier's COC certificate, but also an invoice or receipt detailing the FSC certified status of each product on an individual line-item basis. If the invoice's line-item doesn't say "FSC certified," the material is not FSC certified, no matter what the rest of the information provided by the supplier might indicate.

Wood suppliers often make claims that their material comes from "managed" or "sustainable" forests, but without independent certification, there is no way to really know. Increasingly, such claims are used as a marketing ploy to "greenwash" material that came from destructive forestry practices.

Just because a wood product is "certified" does not mean that it comes from an ecologically-well managed and socially responsible forestry operation. There are now various types of forest certification, and most do not have strict environmental standards, enforcement mechanisms, and methods of tracking the wood through the supply chain to prevent misrepresentation.

Examples of questionable certification systems include:

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
• Funded by the North American timber industry
• Low environmental standards, no Chain of Custody

ISO certification
• International
• Standards address business practices rather than ecological issues
• No Chain of Custody

IBAMA certification
• Program of the Brazilian government
• Low environmental standards, poorly enforced
• No Chain of Custody

Other national certifications from countries such as Canada, Malaysia and Indonesia - all have weak environmental standards and enforcement
Note: None of these certifications enjoy widespread support from environmental groups.

The only forest certification system that enjoys the support of environmental groups worldwide is that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is independent, non-profit, and has a mechanism for tracking wood from the forest floor to the consumer. The U.S. Green Building Council only recognizes FSC certification as evidence of the sustainability of a non-recycled wood product. If you want verification that the wood you are purchasing came from a truly well-managed forest, demand FSC-certified material, and demand proper documentation.