Sustainability of Paper — Here Today, Here Tomorrow

In the case of printing, materials produced by a printer with current chain-of-custody certification and using FSC-certified papers can bear the official FSC tree logo to signal its commitment to being environmentally responsible.

The full process for obtaining COC certification starts with contracting for the services of an FSC-accredited certifier. A printer then must submit a completed application to that firm, detailing the steps it has taken to be compliant. Next, the certifier will send a qualified inspector to the site to verify that appropriate systems are in place to keep records of certified inventory and track it through production. If the site passes inspection, it is deemed certified, but is subject to annual on-site audits to maintain its certification.