FSC Certification Explained for Packaging

This guide is general information, not legal or compliance advice.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification shows that the wood fibre in paper and board comes from FSC-certified forests, recycled material or FSC controlled wood, and that it has been tracked through the supply chain. An FSC label can only appear on a printed box if the box is produced and labelled under a valid FSC chain of custody certificate. If you want FSC packaging, ask for it in your quote request and check the certificate that will cover your order. This guide was checked against FSC and FSC UK guidance on 11 September 2026.

What FSC is and what it covers

FSC is an international, voluntary certification system for forest products. It is not a UK legal requirement; brands choose it because it gives a checkable answer to the question "where did the fibre in this box come from?"

For packaging, FSC applies to the forest-based materials: folding boxboard, kraft board, corrugated board, greyboard and the papers used to wrap rigid boxes. It says nothing about inks, laminates, magnets or plastic windows, and it is not a measure of how easy the finished box is to recycle.

The three FSC labels

FSC International describes three on-product labels.

Every FSC label carries a licence code that identifies the certified company responsible for it. That is why a label cannot simply be copied from one product to another.

For the wider choice between recycled and virgin fibre, which is separate from certification, see recycled vs virgin fibre board.

How chain of custody works

The FSC claim only survives if every company that takes legal ownership of the material and processes or changes it holds FSC chain of custody (CoC) certification. FSC describes the requirements as using FSC-certified material, identifying and tracking it through production, and keeping records of purchases, production and sales.

For a custom printed box, the chain typically runs:

1. Forest and mill. The board is made from certified, recycled or controlled material and sold with an FSC claim.
2. Printer or converter. The company that prints, cuts and forms your boxes must hold CoC certification to keep the claim and apply the label.
3. Brand owner. You receive finished, labelled boxes, with the FSC claim on the sales documents.

FSC UK is explicit that printed materials, including packaging, can only carry an FSC label if they are produced and labelled under a valid FSC chain of custody certificate. If an uncertified company processes the material at any point, the claim is broken.

Can you use the FSC logo as a brand?

This is where most mistakes happen.

• On the box. The FSC label on pack is applied under the certified printer's or converter's licence, not yours. You do not need your own certificate to have it printed on your boxes, provided your supplier is certified and the order is made and labelled under their certificate.
• Buying and selling. FSC UK says you do not need authorisation to buy and sell FSC-certified and labelled products, as long as you do not use or apply the FSC trademarks yourself.
• In your marketing. To use the FSC trademarks promotionally, for example on your website, you need an FSC promotional licence. FSC UK says this covers promotion of finished, FSC-labelled products bought from an FSC-certified supplier, but does not allow you to apply FSC trademarks to products or sales documents.
• Changing the product. If your business processes, repackages or relabels FSC products, FSC UK says you need chain of custody certification rather than a promotional licence.

How to specify FSC packaging

1. Say it in the quote request. State that you need FSC-certified board and, if it matters to you, which label (100%, Mix or Recycled). If you need FSC-certified board, say so in your quote request and we will confirm availability.
2. Ask whose certificate covers the order. Ask for the certificate code of the company that will make and label your boxes.
3. Check the certificate. Look it up on FSC's public certificate search, which shows whether it is valid and which products it covers.
4. Approve the label on the proof. The label, its licence code and its placement should appear on your artwork proof before production.
5. Check the paperwork. The FSC claim should appear on the invoice or delivery documents for your order.

FSC board can affect material choice and availability, particularly for speciality papers and coloured wraps, so raise it early rather than after artwork is final. Our sustainable packaging guide shows where certified fibre fits alongside right-sizing and recyclability, and our packaging materials guide explains the boards themselves.

FSC and green claims

An FSC label is a specific, verifiable claim about fibre sourcing. It does not make a box "eco-friendly" in general. The CMA's Green Claims Code expects environmental claims to be truthful, clear, substantiated and to consider the full life cycle of a product, so describe FSC for what it is, for example "box made from FSC Mix board", rather than using it to support a broad claim. If you also want to say the box is recyclable, that needs its own evidence; see recyclable packaging materials.

Common mistakes

• Saying "FSC certified" without a certificate. Only certified companies can make FSC claims about products. A brand without its own certificate or licence should not describe itself as FSC certified.
• Assuming all brown board is FSC. Kraft colour says nothing about certification. Only the paperwork and the label do.
• Adding the label at artwork stage without telling the supplier. The order has to be produced under a certificate for the label to be valid.
• Using FSC to imply recyclability. They answer different questions.
• Not checking the certificate. Certificates can be suspended or limited to certain products; look it up for every new supplier.