FSC vs PEFC: which forest chain of custody does your company need

If your company manufactures furniture, cardboard packaging, paper, wood products or any article made with virgin or recycled fibre, at some point a customer or a public tender will have asked you for FSC or PEFC certification. Many companies treat both labels as interchangeable equivalents; they are not. The choice between one and the other — or the decision to implement both — directly affects your supply chain, the markets in which you can operate and the annual maintenance cost of the system. This article explains, without detours, what each scheme is, how they differ and how you decide which one you need.

What forest certification is and why the chain of custody exists

Forest certification was created to answer a simple but hard-to-answer question: does this piece of timber or this roll of paper come from a responsibly managed forest? Without a traceability system independently verified, any sustainability claim is marketing without backing.

Forest certification schemes operate on two complementary levels:

• Forest management certification (FM): the forestry operation at source is audited (the forest, the plantation, the producer). It evaluates biodiversity, rights of local communities, soil, water and silviculture plans.
• Chain of custody certification (CoC): it guarantees that the certified timber or fibre at source arrives intact at the final product without being mixed with material of doubtful origin. This is the certification obtained by processors, printers, furniture manufacturers and distributors.

The chain of custody (CoC) is therefore the link in the system that affects your company if you are not a forest owner. It is a documentary and physical control system that records which material comes in, what percentage is certified, how it is segregated (or mixed with a controlled percentage) and what goes out labelled for the market.

FSC: what it is and how it works

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1993, headquartered in Bonn (Germany). It was created driven by environmental NGOs, representatives of indigenous communities and timber-sector companies seeking a credible standard against the forest greenwashing of the late eighties.

The FSC governance model is trinomial: an environmental chamber, a social chamber and an economic chamber, with weighted voting. This grants it greater credibility with organisations such as WWF, Greenpeace or ESG investment funds, but also means that its standards are, in general, more demanding and more costly to implement.

FSC figures as of 2025

According to public FSC data at the close of 2024 and 2025 projections, the scheme has more than 160 million hectares certified in forest management in more than 80 countries, and exceeds 50,000 active chain-of-custody certifications worldwide. In Spain, FSC España has registered more than 500 companies with a current chain of custody, concentrated in the graphic arts, packaging and furniture manufacturing sectors.

FSC label types

The FSC allows three types of product declarations:

• FSC 100%: all material comes from FSC-certified forests. This is the label with the highest commercial value.
• FSC Mix: combines FSC-certified material with material from controlled sources (FSC Controlled Wood) and/or recycled material. The minimum percentage of certified or recycled material to use this label is 70%.
• FSC Recycled: 100% of the material is post-consumer recycled. The label is permitted without the need for certified virgin raw material.

PEFC: what it is and how it works

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) was founded in 1999 as a response from the European forestry sector — forest owners, forest communities and timber SMEs — to what they considered an FSC model excessively influenced by international NGOs. Headquartered in Geneva, PEFC operates as an umbrella that endorses and recognises national forest certification schemes, provided they meet its minimum requirements.

In Spain, the national scheme endorsed by PEFC is PEFC España, managed by the PEFC España Association. In other countries, equivalent schemes exist: MTCC in Malaysia, AFS in Australia, SFI in North America (though SFI also operates independently), etc.

PEFC figures as of 2025

PEFC exceeds FSC in certified area: it encompasses around 320 million hectares of forests certified under one of its recognised national schemes. In terms of companies with a chain of custody, it exceeds 20,000 active certifications worldwide. In Europe, PEFC has greater penetration in timber construction and sawmill sectors, especially in Nordic countries, Germany, Austria and France.

FSC vs PEFC comparison table

Are FSC and PEFC equivalent?

Technically, both systems guarantee forest management that meets sustainability criteria. However, they are not equivalent from a commercial standpoint. The reason is that their audit standards have different levels of stringency in certain criteria — particularly regarding indigenous community rights and protection of high conservation value areas — and that the recognition each scheme has across different markets and value chains differs.

The practical key is this: the market you sell to decides which label it requires. IKEA, for example, accepts FSC or PEFC but has an explicit preference for FSC in its timber policies. Large food retailers in northern Europe include FSC as a qualification criterion for packaging suppliers. On the other hand, many timber construction projects in Spain and Central Europe accept PEFC without question.

When to choose FSC, when PEFC and when both

Choose FSC if…

• Your direct customer or the retailer you supply explicitly requires FSC (always check the terms and conditions or the customer's procurement policy).
• You export to Anglo-Saxon markets (UK, USA, Canada, Australia) where FSC has greater penetration and recognition among end consumers.
• Your final product goes to consumers (B2C) with visible green labelling and you want the standard with the greatest credibility among NGOs and the press.
• You operate in graphic arts, publishing, office paper or packaging for mass-market distribution.

Choose PEFC if…

• Your main market is timber construction, sawmills or forest biomass in the European context.
• Your supply chain works mostly with Nordic, Central European or domestic suppliers where certification under national schemes recognised by PEFC is the norm.
• You want a more agile and cost-effective starting point, and your customer accepts PEFC.
• National or European public tenders where PEFC is admitted on equal terms with FSC.

Implement both if…

• Your company operates across several sectors or has different product lines with different buyers.
• You want access to any tender without scheme restrictions.
• The additional maintenance cost is manageable and the commercial benefit of not missing any opportunity justifies dual certification.

In practice, implementing both simultaneously is more efficient than doing so at two separate times: the documentation systems, material control procedures and staff training are largely shared. If you are going to certify, it is worth evaluating the FSC/PEFC certification process with a specialist consultant from the outset, to design a system that supports both audits without duplicating effort.

The chain of custody certification process step by step

Both FSC and PEFC require the interested company to contract an accredited certification body (AENOR, Bureau Veritas, SGS, Rainforest Alliance, NEPCon, etc.) to carry out the audit. Summum Calidad accompanies the company throughout the entire process prior to that audit; the certification is always issued by the accredited third party.

The usual phases are:

1. Initial diagnosis: analysis of material flows, current suppliers and the percentage of certified material available in the supply chain.
2. Control system design: definition of the material control system (physical separation or percentage system), purchasing procedures, supplier requirements and internal labelling system.
3. Documentation: CoC manual, input and output records, product controls, staff training.
4. Certification audit: the accredited body audits the implemented system. If there are no major non-conformities, it issues the certificate.
5. Annual maintenance: annual follow-up audits and triennial renewal. The system must be updated when suppliers or product lines change.

The typical timeline from the start of the project to certificate issuance ranges from two to four months, depending on the complexity of the supply chain and the company's prior documentary maturity.

Relevant regulatory aspects in 2025–2026

Several regulatory changes in the European environment reinforce the importance of having verified forest certification:

• EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, Regulation 2023/1115): in force since June 2023, it obliges operators placing certain raw materials on the European market — timber, paper, soy, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, cattle — to demonstrate that they do not originate from land deforested after 31 December 2020. Following amendments in December 2024 and December 2025, the application date was extended to 30 December 2026 (large and medium operators) and 30 June 2027 (micro and small operators). Having FSC or PEFC is not automatically sufficient to comply with the EUDR, but it does provide very relevant documented evidence for the required due diligence.
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): companies required to report under CSRD must report on impact on biodiversity and ecosystems (ESRS E4). Having forest certification in the supply chain is a direct evidence element for these reports.
• Green Public Procurement (GPP): the European Commission's green procurement criteria for timber and timber products explicitly recognise both FSC and PEFC as admissible certification systems. In Spain, the Green Public Procurement Plan incorporates the same criteria.

The regulatory framework, therefore, not only does not question either scheme, but strengthens them as compliance tools. Companies that do not yet have a chain of custody and work with timber or paper in their supply chain must act ahead of time: the pressure from customers and regulation is moving in the same direction.

If you want to know how FSC or PEFC certification fits into the management system you already have or are building, you can explore the support we offer in FSC and PEFC certification for companies. Since 2007 we have been accompanying SMEs and mid-sized companies through certification processes, with a presence in Castilla y León and the Canary Islands.

Frequently asked questions

Does an FSC or PEFC certificate expire?

Yes. Chain-of-custody certificates are valid for three years, subject to annual follow-up audits. If a follow-up audit detects major non-conformities that are not corrected within the deadline, the certification body may suspend or withdraw the certificate. That is why maintaining the documentary system and periodic internal controls is just as important as the initial audit.

Can I use the FSC or PEFC label on my products without holding the certificate myself?

No. Only companies with a valid chain-of-custody certificate issued by an accredited body may print or apply the FSC or PEFC marks on their products or in their commercial communications. Using the label without a certificate is an improper use of the trademark and can lead to legal action by FSC International or PEFC International. If you buy certified material but do not hold a CoC yourself, you may require and retain the supplier's sales documents, but you cannot declare that your product contains FSC or PEFC timber.

Do FSC and PEFC serve the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)?

Partially. The EUDR requires due diligence based on geolocated information about the origin of the raw material (coordinates of the forest plots) and a declaration that it does not originate from land deforested after 31 December 2020. FSC and PEFC certificates provide evidence of responsible forest management, but they do not replace the geolocation and specific traceability obligation that the EUDR imposes. Combined with supplier records, however, they significantly simplify the due diligence process. Obligated companies must be ready: large and medium operators from 30 December 2026 and micro and small operators from 30 June 2027.

Can a small SME obtain FSC or PEFC certification?

Yes, and in fact many do. There is a group certification model in both FSC and PEFC, which allows several SMEs in the same sector or geographic area to share audit costs under an umbrella certificate managed by a coordinating entity (trade association, cooperative, etc.). This formula significantly reduces the unit cost and is particularly common among joinery workshops, mid-sized sawmills and independent printers. If your company has fewer than ten employees and a limited raw material volume, group certification may be the most efficient route.