There are loggers in many parts of the world who are cutting indiscriminately and are not following good conservation practices. Once their logs enter the lumber or paper production process they are like any other log and no longer can be tracked. In order to change the behavior of these foresters, a chain of custody from the forester to the mill to the merchant to the printer to the print buyer has been established. In  this way, large and small buyers alike will be able to direct their buying to only those papers that can be proven to be from well managed logging operations, thereby putting pressure on the irresponsible logging  operations to change their practices or go out of business.

Chain-of-Custody (CoC) Certification...

Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification is available to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers who purchase, use, or sell wood or wood products.

It provides assurance to the end consumer – in this case YOU    the print buyer – that the paper used is produced from a certified forest and/or controlled sources or recycled wood or fiber.

Why are we doing it?

We listened to our customers and undertook the lengthy and often complicated process of certification to provide them with the services and products that they not only want, but deserve. It was an easy  decision for us, as we believe in the process and whole-heartedly support responsible forestry practices. Becoming certified increases the options we can offer customers, differentiates us from other printers  and helps make us a better global citizen. By becomingcertified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), we will be able to print the appropriate FSC approved logo on any job that uses certified paper.

The use of these logos is important to print buyers because it demonstrates to their customers that they are taking advantage of environmentally friendly options and being responsible stewards of the  environment.

Types of certified products

It is important to emphasize that Chain-of-Custody is not about recycled paper or changing paper quality to be more environmentally friendly. The paper we receive from our merchants under Chain-of-Custody is completely indistinguishable from other paper. The difference in certified vs. uncertified paper is our ability to trace the paper back through our supply chain to a forest that is known to be well managed.

With that said, there are three types of certified products available in the market:

• Pure: 100% of the fibers used to make the paper come from a certified forest.

• Mixed Sources: The paper includes fiber from well-managed forests, controlled sources and/or recycled wood or fiber. Some mixed paper has an associated percentage amount, indicating the percentage of  postconsumer waste (PCW) content.

• Recycled: Recycled means that the paper is recycled as opposed to virgin product and – similar to Mixed or Recycled – we can verify that the company doing the recycling is utilizing appropriate  post-consumer materials and processes.

Why not use FSC paper in your next project? There’s no reason not to use FSC paper whenever it’s available. Consider using it for your next project and help make a difference in the environment. We’re  always here to help and welcome your questions and comments.

Practices make perfect...