Chain Of Custody

Chain of Custody (or Coc) is the name given to the process of managing and tracing timber to its source, you may recognise names such as the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) or the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).

The Chain of Custody is just that, a chain of custodians. The chain starts with the forestry, through the loggers, through the mills, through the wholesalers and merchants, and finally onto the customer. This chain ensures that your new CoC certified window in your house made by Nottage Joinery Ltd, can be traced back through the original forest that harvested the tree.

Why do we need to trace it back?

The answer of why is fairly simple, We’ve all heard the news of mass deforestation, damaged ecosystems and unethical work conditions etc. around the world. CoC management organisations, such as the FSC®, independently verify the source of timber is sustainable, ethical and legal (for a full list of the work the FSC® is doing around the world visit uk.fsc.org).

CoC certified timber is traced from the forestry through all processes and onto the end user. That means when you purchase timber (or other CoC Goods) each company and organisation in the chain before you has ensured that that item can be traced back to a certified source.

Non-Certified Timber could go through the hands of unethical loggers who may participate in slavery or illegal logging, or deforestation. The Chain of Custody tracks the timber throughout its supply chain to ensure it does not get mixed with Non-Certified timber.

House Builders, Local Authorities, and Governments are doing their part to keep the chain going, requesting timber from certified sources. You can do your part and request that your next project is made using certified timber and we’ll be glad to pass the chain on to you.

Nottage Joinery holds FSC® certification (FSC C122255)

Nottage Joinery Ltd holds PEFC certification (PEFC/16-37-1799)