We invite all interested stakeholders to share their views on the draft revisions of FSC’s Chain of Custody (CoC) standards. Your feedback is essential to ensure the standards remain effective, clear, and relevant. To participate in the consultation, please visit the FSC Consultation Platform.
Update on Status of Revision Process
FSC is revising its Chain of Custody (CoC) standards to:
make them clearer, more practical, and better aligned with current needs;
update certain requirements to reflect technological advances in addressing integrity issues; and
improve consistency in how different types of certification bodies handle CoC certification.
We’ve now developed two draft revised standards:
FSC-STD-40-004 V4-0: Chain of Custody Certification
FSC-STD-20-011 V4-4: Specific requirements for Certification Bodies – Chain of Custody
These drafts reflect feedback collected from the conceptual phase consultation and inputs received from all stakeholders during other engagements. To improve the drafts, we would like to hear from you to ensure these revisions address the needs of all stakeholders.
For more information on the purpose of the revision and the history of this process, please visit the process page and the revision page.
Join the Q&A
FSC is hosting a Q&A session regarding draft 1 of the revised CoC standards on Tuesday 13 January 2026 12:00 - 13:00 GMT. Register here.
In order to maximise the value of this session, attendees are asked to to:
- Watch the recording of the webinar above to learn how stakeholders can participate in the consultation on the revised CoC standards, and the major changes proposed.
- Download and review draft 1 (D1-0) of both FSC-STD-40-004 Chain of Custody Certification and FSC-STD-20-011 Specific Requirements for Certification Bodies (CoC) (these can be downloaded from the revision page on FSC's website); and
- Submit a maximum of two questions, before the deadline of 16:00 GMT on Thursday 8 January 2026, using this form.
In the Q&A session, we will respond to as many of the questions submitted in advance as possible.
Take part in the consultation
This consultation is open until 25 January 2026. We encourage you to visit the consultation platform, download and review the draft standards and associated materials, and provide your feedback on all the areas that interest you. Key topics we seek your feedback on:
On chain of custody certification (FSC-STD-40-004):
- FSC Claims
- Group and multisite certification requirements;
- Reclaimed material;
- Leasing and take-back;
- False claims;
- Core Labour Requirements; and
- Outsourcing.
On chain of custody evaluation requirements (FSC-STD-20-011):
- Evaluation of contractors;
- New methodology for evaluation of Core Labour Requirements; and
- Remote audit
Review the handout on how to participate in the consultation and tips on providing feedback to maximize your participation impact.