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 manage CoC certification.
FSC has 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
The public consultation on draft 1 of the revised Chain of Custody standards took place 15 November 2025 - 25 January 2026 (read more here). The feedback from this consultation has now been incorporated into the second drafts of the revised standards.
The consultation on the second drafts will be open 15 May – 15 June 2026 on the FSC Consultation Platform. We invite all interested stakeholders to share their views. Your feedback is essential to ensure the standards remain effective, clear, and relevant.
Webinar and Q&A
- On Tuesday 19 May 15:00 - 16:30 BST, FSC International will present on the key proposed changes in Draft 2 of the revised CoC standards. Register here: Meeting Registration - Zoom
- On Tuesday 2 June 08:00 – 09:30 BST, FSC International will conduct a ‘Q&A’ session to questions submitted in advance about Draft 2 of the revised CoC Standards. Register here: Meeting Registration - Zoom.
Stakeholders will be able to submit their questions via this Microsoft form once the consultation opens on 15 May, until the deadline of 4pm Thursday 28 May 2026: Questions for Q&A on Draft 2 of revised FSC Chain of Custody Standards – Fill out form
Please reach out to chainofcustody@fsc.org with questions.