Becoming FSC Certified is a positive step in becoming active in stemming illegal and irresponsible deforestation. Wood, by dollar value is the World’s third largest traded commodity behind petroleum and natural gas. And although there are obvious problems to measuring black market economic activity, it is estimated that up to 35% of the worldwide trade in forestry and lumber products derives from illegal and irresponsible harvesting – in the tropics, which include Brazil & Indonesia, those estimates range as high as 85%. FSC Certification is the most prominent and effective initiative of the Private Sector in stemming deforestation.
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There are two primary categories of FSC Certification. What is the correct Certification for any company or NGO is depends on whether they are in the forest management business of owning land and/or harvesting timber (Forest Management – FSC-FM), or the applicant is part of the supply chain as a manufacturer, a shipper, wholesaler, builder or even a printer (Chain of Custody – FSC-CoC).
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To a lesser extent, Promotional Certification applies to entities that may not fulfill all of the requirements for a full Certification, but nonetheless do business with FSC Certified vendors and distributors and wish to demonstrate their commitment to forest conservation.
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For smaller entities, with gross annual sales derived from forest products under USD $5 million – and for which the fees and requirements for joining are prohibitive – there exists the opportunity to join an FSC-CoC Certified Group rather than as a sole proprietor.
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Once Certification has been achieved, such entities will be granted the right to display the FSC logo on their packaging or products. Along with displaying the applicant’s FSC number, there are three types of labels depending on the origination of the sourced wood products.
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Labels that show “100% – ” mean that the Certified applicants sourced forest products are from 100% FSC Certified forests.
A “Recycled” label is applied to forestry products manufactured using reclaimed material that would have been treated as waste.
“Mix” identifies timber products sourced from FSC Certified forests, Recycled wood or fiber and virgin timber – Controlled Wood sources. The Controlled Wood category is the designation of forests that are not FSC Certified but meet a verified set of minimum requirements for carrying the FSC logo. 
Project Certification is another FSC-CoC certification devise. But that is primarily for enabling the building industry to certify on a per project basis, rather than issue yearly certification.
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At A+A Price, we are particularly proud of our FSC Certification. And our commitment to Conservation and eco-friendly products are trending as another criteria for purchasing with ever-younger customers. Our lines of wood-wool & wood-wax cubes are sourced from responsibly harvested timber & fiber. Call Andrew today at 519-503-1035 or e-mail at aapricesalesandmarketing@gmail.com to enquire about adding eco-friendly lines of Firestarter SKUs to your shelves.
 

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