FSC Accredited Certification Body Archives - Forest Certification

ASI suspends TUVDC for FSC COC scope in India

ForestIn — Mon, 01 May 2023 16:22:57 +0000

ASI suspends the approval (i.e. Tier Two of Two-Tier Assurance Program) of TUVDC for FSC COC scope in India

The suspension will be in force for a maximum of six months.

ASI has suspended the approval (i.e. Tier Two of the Two-Tier Assurance Program) of DIN CERTCO Gesellschaft für Konformitätsbewertung mbH (TUVDC) for Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC), FSC COC technical scope in India on 15 March 2023. The suspension is due to a serious breach of Approval Requirements which consisted of providing consultancy during the certification process based on sections 19, Table 2, item 10 c) of the Approval Procedure (ASI-PRO-20-258).

The relevant findings were raised during an unannounced FSC COC Compliance assessment in India.

During the suspension period of maximum six months, the Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) shall not enter into new agreements for certification or perform initial certification services within the scope of suspension. However, the CAB shall continue to conduct surveillance audits for existing clients during the period of suspension.

Read more about the impact of suspension on CABs and certificate holders here.

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Counterfeit FSC Certificates Identified in India

ForestIn — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 18:36:10 +0000

Counterfeit FSC Certificates Identified in India

FSC received information that two United Kingdom-registered entities, UK Merit Assessments Ltd. and United Accredium Certification and Inspection Limited, posed as authentic certification bodies and provided counterfeit FSC certificates in the Indian market.

Source: FSC News, 4 August 2021

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Two New FSC Certification Bodies Accredited

ForestIn — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 10:45:27 +0000

Two New FSC Certification Bodies Accredited

Effective 26 June 2021, Assurance Services International (ASI) has accredited Česká společnost pro jakost, z.s. (CSQ). CSQ will be able to audit and issue certificates for FSC Chain of Custody, excluding controlled wood, in the Czech Republic.

Effective 24 July 2021, Assurance Services International (ASI) has accredited Neocert Certificações Florestais e Agrícolas Ltda (NEO). Neocert will be able to audit and issue certificates for FSC Forest Management and Chain of Custody, excluding controlled wood, in Brazil.

To receive the accreditation, Neocert and CSQ were evaluated by ASI and had demonstrated their ability to conduct impartial assessments to issue FSC certificates according to the established criteria.

Source: FSC New, 14 September 2021

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ASI has suspended certification body Bureau Veritas from issuing FSC certificates worldwide

ForestIn — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:19:14 +0000

Accreditation Services International (ASI) has suspended certification body Bureau Veritas from issuing FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) and Forest Management (FM) certificates worldwide.

The suspension came into effect last 19 October 2016 and it restricts Bureau Veritas’ ability to continue to offer and provide FSC accredited CoC and FM certification.

This suspension is a result of the company’s failure to resolve major non-conformities with FSC accreditation standards.

This suspension will be enforced for a maximum of six months during which period Bureau Veritas must demonstrate having closed all major nonconformities in order for the measure to be lifted. If the accreditation is not reinstated within that time frame, clients of Bureau Veritas will need to seek a new FSC-accredited certification body in order for their FSC certificate to remain valid.

During the period of the suspension, existing clients can keep obtaining certification services from Bureau Veritas. Only in the event that Bureau Veritas would not be able to close the major nonconformities, would their certificates need to be transferred to another FSC accredited certification body.

This action reinforces expectations that standards are continuously audited with the consistency that is expected by FSC and that accreditation body ASI oversees all certification bodies rigorously.
Bureau Veritas has issued 3,800 CoC certificates and 100 Forest Management FSC certificates in 63 countries worldwide.

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