Sustainable Forestry Certification

Sustainable Forestry Certification

Forests are crucial to maintaining our planet’s environmental equilibrium. Companies using wood products, such as paper, furniture, and timber, must demonstrate a commitment to sustainable sourcing of products, services, and suppliers. As part of our Green Line Services and Solutions dedicated to helping our clients implement sustainable practices, Bureau Veritas provides forestry certification to help our clients address a dynamic array of environmental mandates and protect the future of our planet.

Preserving forests is an environmental must: trees absorb CO2, reduce flooding, minimize soil erosion and provide crucial, biodiverse habitats for innumerable species. Preventing deforestation by adopting responsible timber sourcing practices is key to preserving land, wildlife, and the water cycle.

By certifying your supply chain and production processes, you can send a powerful message about your commitment to sustainable forestry product sourcing. Bureau Veritas provides independent third-party certification to several dedicated forest and timber standards. The process helps you achieve legal compliance, mitigate risk, and contribute to global efforts to protect forests.

Key benefits

  • Achieve compliance with legal requirements

    for sustainable forestry product and timber sourcing

  • Ensure the traceability and sustainability

    of timber and forest products

  • Mitigate risk throughout your supply chain

    with internationally recognized certification

  • Fight global deforestation,

    maintain biodiversity and help protect the environment

SFI: protecting the forest environment

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification for land in the United States and Canada promotes sustainable forestry management. SFI requirements include measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, and wildlife habitat. For timber and forest-based products, SFI certification assures consumers that products are responsibly sourced and sustainably produced.

FSC® A000504: going the extra mile in sustainable forestry

The FSC® ( Forest Stewardship Council®) certification: Forest Management is a voluntary standard that supports sustainable forestry management and timber product creation. Bureau Veritas offers Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification, which guarantees the environmentally and socially responsible origins of forest products.

Bureau Veritas Certification, as an independent Certification Body accredited by ASI to provide Chain of Custody Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certification, will be contracted by companies to perform an audit according to the requirements of FSC-STD-40-004 (Chain of Custody Certification) and if needed the requirements of FSC-STD-40-005 (“Requirements for Sourcing FSC® Controlled Wood”). The delivery of FSC® certification services is in association with Bureau Veritas Certification Holding SAS.

The standard FSC-STD-40-005 covers the purchase of timber that is not FSC® certified and requires that the certified organization concerned puts in place a Due Diligence System in order to avoid material from unacceptable sources. The five FSC® Controlled Wood categories of unacceptable sources, as well as definitions of FSC® Controlled Wood, are described in the FSC® standard for Controlled Wood FSC-STD-40-005 that is available here.

PEFC ™: managing risk for sustainable forestry

The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC ™) determines that your forest management processes are ethical and sustainable. PEFC’s risk-management approach to forest product procurement allows you to identify and overcome risks in your supply chain. Bureau Veritas provides internationally recognized certification to PEFC ™ standards.

EUTR: conducting due diligence for timber

The European Union Timber Regulation promotes greater transparency in timber trading. To comply with EUTR standards, you must undertake a risk assessment for your wood sourcing practices. Bureau Veritas offers verification to EUTR standards, helping you prove due diligence on sustainable forestry practices for timber and forest products.

OLB: achieving traceability for forest and timber products

Origine et Légalité des Bois (OLB) certification allows forest and timber trading companies to trace the origins and prove the legality of forest products. Bureau Veritas certifies organizations to OLB standards, helping forest operators demonstrate compliance with legal requirements for traceability, management and logging.

  • FSC® stakeholders consultation

    Bureau Veritas Certification has to conduct stakeholder consultations that will be part of the evaluation of the company’s system for the FSC® ( Forest Stewardship Council®) certification. 

    If you want to participate in one of these stakeholder consultations, please use the email address FSCStakeholderconsultation@in.bureauveritas.com (with the client name or any other reference to uniquely identify your request). Your comments will then be transferred to our audit team in order to be taken into consideration.