What is Chain of Custody?

Chain of Custody (CoC) is the process of tracking and recording the possession and transfer of wood and fiber from the forests of origin through the different stages of production - primary manufacturing, secondary manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing - to the end user.

Companies interested in demonstrating that their products are made from responsibly managed forests, and not from areas that were illegally harvested, major tropical wilderness areas, or biodiversity hot spots need CoC certification.

How do I know that this fiber meets my environmental standards?

The SFI program has the most comprehensive approach to wood supply monitoring of any forest certification program in the world and can help provide this assurance with several options for chain of custody and on-product labels.

Certification:

SFI participants are not only required to practice sustainable forestry on their own forests, but are also required by the SFI Standard to encourage their suppliers throughout their wood procurment systems to practice sustainable forestry, including reforesting following harvest and using best management practices for protecting water quality.

Please click below to learn more about different types of labeling.

"X" Percent Content Label

In order to qualify for the X% content label, a manufacturing facility must accurately demonstrate that a specified percentage of raw material in its product or production line carrying the label comes directly from a forest independently certified to either the SFI or CSA Standards. Non-certified material cannot originate from a "controversial source" as defined in Annex 2 of the Requirements for Fiber Sourcing, Chain of Custody, and Product Labels. The only way to qualify for this label is by using the percentage based method described in the chain of custody requirements.

At least "x" percent of the fiber used in this product line comes from independently certified forests.
Volume Credit Label

In order to qualify for the volume credit label, a manufacturing facility must accurately demonstrate the percentage of raw material in its product or production line comes directly from a forest independently certified to either the SFI or CSA Standards. The volume credit method requires that the portion of products that carry the label will be proportionate to the percentage of certified content and will be considered as including 100% of certified raw material Non-certified material cannot originate from a "controversial source" as defined in Annex 2 of the Requirements for Fiber Sourcing, Chain of Custody, and Product Labels. The only way to qualify for this label is by using the volume credit method described in the chain of custody requirements.

Promoting Sustainable Forest Management
"X" Percent Recovered Fiber Label

In order to qualify for the X% recovered fiber claim, a manufacturing facility must accurately demonstrate that a specific percentage of the raw material used in the product or production line carrying the tagline is recovered wood fiber. You can qualify for this claim using any of the existing chain of custody methods. This is not a stand-alone label. Rather, the manufacturing facility must first qualify for one of the (non-100% certified content) labels.

100 Percent of the fiber used in this product is recycled fiber.
Fiber Sourcing Label

The SFI Standard requires participants to employ an auditable system to characterize the forest practices on the lands where they procure raw material. This is done by auditing the on-the-ground practices for a portion of the wood that is supplied to their processing facilities. The program emphasizes reforestation, the utilization of best management practices and enhancing the professional capacity of wood production operations. The SFI labeling program also recognizes landowners certified under the American Tree Farm System® and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) programs, who supply raw materials to SFI program participants as a source equivalent to forests certified under the SFI program for fiber sourcing labels. In addition to the procurement system, the SFI Standard requires participants to support various training and education programs, all of which is designed to assist landowners in improving their capacity to practice sustainable forestry on all types of forest lands.

SFI program participants who successfully achieve certification to the SFI Standard, and manufacturers who purchase at least two-thirds of their materials for a product or product line from certified SFI program participants (referred to as "secondary" manufacturers), may qualify to use a fiber sourcing label shown below by achieving certification to Annex 1 of the Requirements for Fiber Sourcing, Chain of Custody, and Product Labels. (Note: The "Certified Participant" label is only available to primary manufactures, whereas the "Certified Souring" label is available only to secondary manufactures)

The above fiber sourcing labels do not make claims about certified content.

Who supports SFI?

The SFI Program benefits from the support of many conservation, government, professional and academic organizations.

American Bird Conservancy	National Fisheries Institute
American Forests	National Tree Trust
American Tree Farm System	National Wild Turkey Federation
American Legislative Exchange Counsel	National Woodland Owners Association
Arkansas Wildlife Federation	The Nature Conservatory
Bat Conservation International, Inc.	Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association
Center for Wildlife Information	Northwest Regional Planning Commission
The Congressional Sportsmen′s Foundation	The Pacific Forest Trust
The Conservation Fund	Quality Deer Management Association
Conservation Federation of Missouri	Quail Unlimited
Council of State Governments	Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Ducks Unlimited	Ruffed Grouse Society
Forest Resources Association	Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers	Society of American Foresters
Izaak Walton League of America	South Carolina Wildlife Federation
Longleaf Alliance	Tree Musketeers
Michigan United Conservation Clubs	USDA Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service
National Association of Conservation Districts	Wildlife Habitat Council
National Association of Professional Forestry Schools & Colleges	Wildlife Management Institute
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation	The Wildlife Society

What are the differences between SFI and FSC?

Take a look at our benefits comparison chart for specific details on the differences between SFI and FSC.

When making a decision about the benefits of different Certification Programs, it is best to compare all of your options. Below we have SFI & FSC and how Signature Offset has the best of both worlds.

SFI		FSC
	Sustainable forest management standard.
	Independently governed and subject to third-party certification.
	Supported by conservation groups.
	Fights illegal logging while recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples.
	Protects water, soil and wildlife.
	Protects endangered forests.
	Improves forest productivity by allowing prudent use of EPA approved pesticides.
	Improves forest productivity by allowing plantation forestry.
	Addresses social issues.
	Landowner and logger education and training.
	Audits family forest wood fiber.
	Internationally recognized by PEFC (www.pefc.org )
	Largest member of certified acres (SFI - 133 million acres; FSC - 70 million acres).
	Vast majority of supply can keep product on the shelves by encompassing: 85% of wood panel production 50% of dimensional lumber 92% of pulp production 84% percent of all paper production 87% of newsprint production 93% of containerboard production 90% of paperboard production 85% of printing-writing paper production

Numerous independent, unbiased, science-based studies comparing the SFI and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) programs have shown the two programs to be nearly identical when it comes to on-the-ground performance. These studies have been conducted by respected organizations like Metafore, The Pinchot Institute, and ProForest.

How much land is protected by SFI?

SFI participants have about 133 million acres. Participants practice sustainable forestry on all the lands they manage. They influence millions of additional acres through the training of loggers, foresters and family forest owners in best management practices and landowner outreach programs.

Does SFI paper still look and feel the same as non-certified paper?