Buyer guide · Certification evidence
How should buyers verify FSC and other packaging documents?
A certificate or audit document is useful only when it matches the named company, validity period, manufacturing site, scope, product group, material and actual order. Documents belonging to a core factory or partner supplier must be attributed to that entity rather than presented as a blanket certificate for every product.
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Checklist
Details to check on every certification document
- Exact legal entity and site address
- Certificate, licence or report number
- Issue, expiry and current status
- Certification or audit body
- Scope and covered activities
- Product groups and material claims
- Which entity will manufacture the order
- Claim wording required on product and invoice
Evidence matching
Six questions before relying on a document
1. Who holds it?
Match the exact legal entity on the document with the entity that will perform the relevant manufacturing activity.
2. Is it current?
Check issue and expiry dates, certificate status and whether a later version or suspension information exists.
3. What does the scope cover?
Quality management, social assessment and responsible-forestry chain of custody answer different questions and are not interchangeable.
4. Does the product qualify?
Confirm the product group, material source and processing route instead of assuming every paper or packaging item is covered.
5. What claim is allowed?
FSC and similar claims require the approved claim type, licence use, artwork approval and transaction documentation to align.
6. Does the order follow that route?
The actual factory, material purchasing, subcontracting and invoice trail must match the evidence used for the order.
Document types
Four documents that answer different buyer questions
FSC chain-of-custody certificate
Supports eligible responsible-forestry product claims when certificate scope, material and transaction rules are followed.
ISO 9001 certificate
Describes a quality-management system for the named entity and certified activity scope; it does not certify every individual product.
BSCI or social-assessment report
Provides assessment information for the audited site and time period; status and scope should be read from the actual report.
Product or material test report
Applies to the named sample, specification, method and date and should not be extended to unrelated materials or products.
FAQ
Certification-document questions
Does an FSC certificate mean every paper product can carry an FSC claim?
No. The certificate scope, product group, material source, manufacturing route, artwork and transaction claim must all qualify.
Does ISO 9001 certify the quality of each shipment?
No. It certifies a management system and scope for the named entity. Order-specific specifications, sampling and inspection are still required.
Can a supplier certificate be shown on Sincere Packaging projects?
It can be provided when that supplier is the actual relevant production entity and the attribution, validity and scope are stated accurately.
Can an expired report be used as current evidence?
No. An expired or superseded document may be historical reference but should not be presented as current valid certification.
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