The process of becoming Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified is very straightforward.

Go to the FSC website and navigate from the menu to the Certification pages. Scroll to Certifying Bodies and go to one of them list of the 11 authorized organizations headquartered in the US and are contracted as a third-party partner, independent from FSC Governance.

You will request an application that you need to fill-out and return to your Certification agency. Upon returning the application form (being independent from FSC, each Certification agency has a slightly different application) and then be instructed on what you’ll need to become FSC Certified. Once you are approved and have paid your first installment on yearly dues that are determined by your Certifier, you’ll be among other things, given a Certification number and the authority to display the green FSC logo on any and all SKUS that meet the criteria.

As with many such enterprises, the technical act of applying is rather transparent. But decisions have to be made on whether the projected added value can be justified by the costs. The initial and yearly cost of certification will be determined by your application & audit. Type of Certification, and annual sales from wood products will be the primary factors. You can expect to be re-audited so that your commitment still conforms. But the larger the network grows, the greater the stress on maintaining regular audits assessing compliance.

Decisions also have to be made on what type of Certification is applicable for your organization. If you are not a forester, or builder; your likely choice will be to apply for a Chain of Custody (CoC) FSC Certification, or a Group Certification. (The proper Certification will be recommended by your application and first audit.) Because an FSC-CoC requires complete fidelity throughout the supply chain, you must do business with only FSC Certified entities. Because of the disruption and explosion of inflated prices experienced in the shipping industry, along with gyrating prices for other commodities  these past few years, combined with the extensive dis-aggregation of many worldwide manufacturers, juggling vendors, partners & sudden inflation could become suddenly costlier.

There are several NGOs dedicated to Forest Conservation, (Green Peace, World Wildlife Fund, & SCS Global Services, etc.). A+A Price and the Samba brand have taken advantage of the FSC’s dedication to creating & maintaining  profitable reasons for being FSC Certified, and the right to use the FSC logo on the Samba packaging and promotion of the Wood-Wool-& Wood-Wax Cubes lines of 100% Natural Firestarters.

Rampant deforestation is a significant, contributing driver of CO2 pollution and the warming of the planet. And an easy mythology is that forest conservation simply means saving wild virgin forests. Without reduced demand, responsible conservation of forests must mean legally managed & harvested forests.

When your Samba / Private Label brand, 100% Natural Biomass Firestarters arrive on your shelf, they bring a commitment to depress CO2 pollution. Call Andrew today at 519-503-1035 or e-mail at aapricesalesandmarketing@gmail.com to enquire about adding Samba, or Private Label 100% Natural, eco-friendly lines of Firestarter SKUs to your shelves.