Independent Certification Bodies
The cornerstone of the SFI program is third-party certification, which verifies the requirements set out in the standard and supporting documents have been met. Independent certification bodies evaluate planning, procedures and processes in the forest, in the mill or in the plant to ensure they conform to SFI requirements – whether it is for forest management, chain of custody or fiber procurement.
Certification bodies must complete an accreditation program before they are approved to perform certification audits to the SFI Standard and/or the SFI and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) chain-of-custody standards. A list of accredited certification bodies is posted below.
Organizations and forest managers wishing to make public claims regarding their SFI forest certification must submit a summary of audit findings performed by an accredited third-party certification body. The summaries are prepared by the certification body and include general descriptions of conformities, non-conformities, corrective action plans, opportunities for improvement, and exceptional practices.
A certificate is issued only after the independent certification body determines a specific operation conforms to the SFI requirements – for forests, chain of custody or fiber sourcing. Annual surveillance audits are mandatory on all certified operations, and a full re‑certification audit is required for forest operations every three years.
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