What do the FSC labels mean?
Found on thousands of products labels around the world, the FSC labels provide assurance that the material or product comes from verified and responsible sources that have met FSC’s strict environmental and social requirements.
The 3 FSC Labels
FSC 100%
FSC 100% labels identify products which are made of 100% virgin material from FSC-certified forests.
FSC MIX
FSC MIX labels identify products which are made with a combination of FSC virgin fibre, and/or recycled materials with controlled virgin fibre.
FSC RECYCLED
FSC RECYCLED labels identify products which are made with 100% recycled fibre. The mobius loop in the top left-hand corner identifies the percentage of recycled fibre.
What's in a label?
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why are there 3 labels?
The FSC 100% label identify products which are made of 100% virgin material from FSC-certified forests.
While we would love for all products to be sourced from FSC certified forests many forests still do not meet FSC's standards for responsible forest management. And so, our FSC MIX label indicates products made with a mix of materials including FSC virgin fibre, controlled fibre and/or recycled fibre. Controlled fibre is virgin material that has been verified as having a low risk in terms of illegal logging and other unacceptable practices.
The FSC Recycled label was introduced in order to recognize the important role that recycling paper and timber plays in protecting the world’s forests. Unlike general ‘recycled’ claims, which require no verification, the FSC Recycled label provides assurance that all the wood or paper in a product has been verified as genuinely recycled. Reclaimed materials can also be used in products carrying the FSC Mix label, however, only products containing 100% recycled material can carry the FSC Recycled label.
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What is controlled wood?
Controlled wood is material that has been assessed using the relevant FSC standards and found to be at a low risk of coming from the following unacceptable sources:
- illegally harvested
- harvested in violation of traditional and human rights
- harvested in forests in which high conservation values are threatened by management activities
- harvested in forests being converted to plantations or non-forest use
- from forests in which genetically modified trees are planted
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Why does FSC have a recycled label/how does it differ from other recycled labels?
The FSC Recycled label was introduced in order to recognize the important role that recycling paper and timber plays in protecting the world’s forests. Unlike general ‘recycled’ claims, which require no verification, the FSC Recycled label provides assurance that all the wood or paper in a product has been verified as genuinely recycled.
Reclaimed materials can also be used in products carrying the FSC Mix label, however, only products containing 100% recycled material can carry the FSC Recycled label.
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