With the growing awareness of today’s environmental issues, both businesses and consumers are adjusting their decision making in order to support environmentally responsible practices. At Tukaiz, our efforts continually help to sustain the well being of our environment. In addition, we strive to support our clients’ environmental efforts and needs.

Tukaiz has taken the initiative to become certified in the Chain of Custody for FSC and SFI. The following information will help to explain the significance of FSC and SFI certifications, the benefits and our role in the Chain of Custody.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

www.fsc.org

FSC - Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.

Landowners and companies that sell timber or forest products seek certification as a way to verify to consumers that they have practiced forestry consistent with FSC standards.

Trusted environmental organizations including Greenpeace, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and World Wildlife Fund all support and encourage FSC certification. Consumers wishing to support healthy forests and communities should look and ask for the FSC label when purchasing wood or paper products.

FSC-US, based in Washington, DC, is the U.S. “chapter” of FSC International, based in Bonn Germany.

FOR MORE INFORMATION… www.fsc.org

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)

www.sfiprogram.org

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program is based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist.

SFI program participants practice sustainable forestry on all the lands they manage. They also influence millions of additional acres through the training of loggers and foresters in best management practices and landowner outreach programs.

The multi-stakeholder Board of Directors of SFI, Inc. is the sole governing body over the SFI Standard and all aspects of the program, including chain of custody certification and labeling, marketing and promotion.

FOR MORE INFORMATION… www.sfiprogram.org

COC / Chain of Custody Certification Process

• Independent, certification organizations are accredited by FSC and SFI to carry out assessments of forest management to determine if standards have been met
• Certifiers also verify that companies claiming to sell FSC or SFI certified products have tracked their supply back to FSC or SFI certified sources
• COC certification insures compliance to a set of standards promoting sustainable forestry management
• Proper handling of a COC project requires that each supplier throughout the chain of a project is COC certified:
• Paper mill
• Paper
• Paper merchant
• Printer
• This Chain of Custody certification assures that consumers can trust the FSC or SFI label that appears on the printed matter

Benefits of COC

• Protection and renewal of global forests by participating in sustainable forestry practices from harvest through consumer
• Conservation of earth’s resources
• Assurance that wood harvesting is legal and not harmful to the environment
• Increased market potential when using sustainable products
• Chain of Custody certification assures that consumers can trust the FSC or SFI label that appears on the printed matter
• Proper usage of a label demonstrates to the consumer that the advertiser is environmentally responsible, aware and supportive of sustainable forestry practices

COC Requirements for Printers

• Documented procedures covering the handling and processing of certified material
• Maintain records of the purchase and sales of certified materials
• Ensure that certified materials cannot be mixed or confused with uncertified materials
• Train staff on their roles and responsibilities within the Chain of Custody
• Appropriate usage of FSC or SFI logos on printed matter. Only COC certified printers are approved to produce work with the logos. Non-COC printers will be in violation of trademark rules.
• Ability to report on the sale of the certified materials by customer
• Complete internal audit reviews
• Conduct management review

Partner with Tukaiz for COC and Logo Usage

• Tukaiz adheres to COC process standards from estimate through final delivery
• Tukaiz verifies paper is certified
• Tukaiz provides guidance to determine appropriate logo to be utilized on printed piece
• Only certified COC printers can print projects utilizing the FSC or SFI logos
• Tukaiz sends low resolution logo to client for placement into design file
• Tukaiz replaces logo with high res version
• Tukaiz prepares PDF file of entire print file and forwards file to FSC or SFI organizations for approval (process may take 1-2 days)
• Project cannot print until logo approval has been acquired
• If creative / copy changes occur, a new PDF file must be sent to the FSC or SFI for approval
• Upon logo approval from the appropriate organization, Tukaiz can proceed with printing the project