Project Certification
Companies that are looking to gain recognition for an ‘end-use’ project that has incorporated timber products supplied from FSC or PEFC certified sources can apply for Project Certification.
A Project is a tangible product (e.g. house) or part of a product that forms a functional unit (e.g. the roof of a house) which is clearly specified in terms of location and time. Whereas Chain of Custody certification is well suited for the on-going and continuous production of certified products such as paper, packaging, furniture or kitchens, it is however, not always the most suitable certificate framework for a short-term project involving numerous uncertified contractors, such as in the construction or shipbuilding industries, or for the one-off production of a specific product.
Past Soil Association Project Certificates include such high profile examples as the London 2012 Olympic Park and Venue and the Bullitt Centre in Seattle, however the Soil Association has also awarded project certificates to Europe’s first 100% FSC certified home in Denmark which was designed by the owner and incorporates a mixture of both temperate and tropical hardwood and softwood species. More recently a partial project certificate was awarded to a piece of art on display at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Project Certification validates that each step of the supply chain has been monitored closely with independent auditing and is the key mechanism for tracing certified material from the forest to the building site. As with the regular Chain of Custody, meticulous records must be maintained on all aspects of the wood and wood-based products received on site, and employees involved in the project must be competent and receive sufficient training.
For an informal discussion or more details on Project Certification please contact pbienz@soilassociation.org.