Small and medium-sized businesses are the true engines of our world economy, and we need them to help make sustainable forest products the norm. FSC® Chain-of-Custody group certification is an excellent—and affordable—solution for smaller companies.
However, time and time again, we see smaller companies decide not to pursue FSC certification because myths have been masquerading as facts, making businesses unsure about whether group certification is right for them.
Let’s break down five common myths of group certification and provide the facts of why FSC CoC group certification is a powerful option for even the smallest of companies.
What is Group Certification?
Chain of Custody (CoC) certification under FSC allows businesses to show their customers that wood and paper products come from responsibly managed forests—and that at every step non-compliant material is kept out of certified supply chains.
A “group” model allows multiple member sites to be certified together under a single FSCCoC certificate, which can reduce overhead and cost for smaller operations.
Top 5 Myths About FSC CoC Group Certification
Myth #1: Group certification is not as credible as single certification.
Fact: Group certification is designed to be fully compliant with FSC standards.
Group certification requires the same FSC chain of custody rules as individual certification. All participating members must meet FSC’s requirements—audits, record keeping, separation of certified vs. non-certified material, labeling, etc. The only differences are in how certain administrative responsibilities are organized, often centralized at the group head. The standard isn’t relaxed; it is shared.
The risk for non-compliance is much lower when compared to single CoC certification. Group certificate participants submit to more audits (both internal and external) and have access to ongoing support from their group managers.
Myth #2: If one member loses its certificate, the whole group is suspended.
Fact: Group compliance is governed by the totality of its participant oversight. If one member site fails an audit, the entire group is not in danger.
Members in a group do not have to operate in exactly the same way. Differences in scale, operations, geography, or product types are allowed. What matters is that the group as a whole maintains conformity in key areas of FSC chain of custody: traceability; separation (or control of mixing) of certified vs non-certified material; documentation; internal monitoring; and compliance with audit requirements.
The group manager ensures that all members adhere to those standards. If a member site consistently fails to address problems identified by the group manager, that member is removed from the group.
Myth #3: My company is too large for group certification.
Fact: While the size and revenue thresholds differ country to country, these ceilings may be higher than you think.
While the group model is often very helpful for small or remote operations, it is not limited to them.
For example, in the U.S., companies qualify if they make less than $10M in gross annual forest product sales or have fewer than 25 employees. The economies of scale, shared documentation, shared training, and shared audits can make sense even for medium-sized enterprises.
Note that a company or organization with multiple operations (such as multiple warehouses, mills, or processing sites) can consider a group approach if it makes sense for their structure. For those above the limit, this is called multi-site certification.
Myth #4: Certification is too expensive.
Fact: Group certification is designed to help reduce the overall costs of certification.
The group model usually reduces both cost and time overhead per member site, relative to each getting its own certificate. Some of the administrative burden is shared, and audits, documentation, training, and monitoring may be managed centrally for multiple members.
Of course, there are costs associated with group management (oversight, monitoring), but often these are more than offset by savings at each member site compared to fully standalone certification.
Smaller companies not only benefit from the lower cost of group certification, but they also have a better experience overall because documents and support are included.
In fact, American Green built a custom group documentation system that makes certification even more affordable by cutting the cost of CoC consultation in half.
Myth #5: Getting certified is too much work.
Fact: It’s true that complicated requirements can be burdensome for smaller companies. That’s why group certification is overseen by a group manager—who handles all the details.
Managing a group can indeed involve more coordination, but it’s not necessarily complex in a prohibitive way. Most group managers leverage shared templates for documentation, group-level internal audits, centralized training, and standard operating procedures.
With good management systems, certification can be very achievable, and consulting or technical support can help smooth implementation.
Group Certification in Motion
At the 2025 FSC General Assembly, several motions are being discussed that may impact how FSC CoC Group Certification operates and is regulated.
These proposals include clarifications on group manager responsibilities, revised risk assessment procedures for groups, and stronger requirements for internal monitoring and auditing within groups. These possible changes aim to improve transparency, consistency, and enforcement across group certificates.
- Motion 28/2020 asks for simplified requirements to help improve accessibility of FSC certification for smaller companies. Group certification is already an excellent solution and addresses the complexities small businesses face in conforming to the CoC standard.
- Motion 55/2021 asks for increased transparency of organizations and products certified through CoC group certification. Group certification offers that transparency by requiring group participants to have their own records on the FSC database.
Group Certification: A Case Study
“We created the group certificate years ago, when the FSC came out with a new way for smaller companies to become certified. Prior to that, it was way too expensive for a small company to do it. But they came out with this group methodology, and a few of us started talking and decided we’d try to put together a group.
“Not only do you save a lot of money by joining a group certificate, but you have [your group manager] as a resource that cuts a lot of time and red tape out of the process.”
— Timothy Freeman, former president of Printing Industries Alliance
Learn More About FSC CoC Group Certification
Group certification under FSC CoC is a powerful option for many businesses—but only if decisions are based on facts rather than myths.
If you’re interested in learning more about certification groups, which are formed independently from FSC, contact the CoC Group Network. You can also contact the American Green team directly to start getting answers to your group certification questions.
About the author: Chris Gibbons founded American Green in 2011. Since then, he’s grown the company from a few clients to a few hundred, using his extensive experience with FSC standards to help businesses navigate the requirements of FSC Chain of Custody certifications. Learn more about Chris on our About Us page.
Many thanks to Ulf Sonntag, founder and director of ZGD, who helped refine these myths, which will be featured at the poster presentation at the 2025 FSC General Assembly.
Featured image credit: Alexandre Jaquetoni on Unsplash
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