FSC Certificate Check Across Your Supply Chain: Printer, Box Maker or Trading Company — Whose Code Counts?
Short answer: Check the FSC certificate of every company that takes legal ownership of your packaging and sells it to the next company with an FSC claim — and above all, the company that invoices you. FSC's chain of custody standard says an FSC claim needs "an unbroken chain of organizations independently certified by FSC-accredited certification bodies covering every change in legal ownership" (FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1, Box 1). A printer's certificate does not cover a trading company that buys from it and resells to you.
The code that counts is the one of the company that invoices you with the FSC claim.
A trading company that buys and resells needs its own FSC chain of custody certificate.
A box maker working under the printer's outsourcing agreement does not need its own certificate; the printer keeps ownership and invoices the claim.
Agents and logistics companies that never own the goods do not need a certificate.
Check each code at search.fsc.org: status, legal name, city and country, and product groups.
This guide is for brands buying printed boxes through more than one company. If you need to check just one supplier, use our step-by-step guide to verify an FSC certificate. For labelling and ordering, see our FSC packaging guide.
1. The rule: follow legal ownership, not the factory floor
FSC chain of custody (CoC) certification follows who owns the material, not who touches it. Under Box 1 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1, a company needs CoC certification if it has legal ownership of certified products and does at least one of these:
sells FSC-certified products with FSC claims on sales documents;
labels products as FSC certified;
manufactures or changes the product (for example re-packaging or re-labelling) before it is sold with an FSC claim;
promotes FSC-certified products (finished, labelled products can be promoted by non-certificate holders under FSC's promotional rules).
The same box lists who does not need certification because they do not take legal ownership:
agents and auction houses that arrange the trade between buyer and seller;
logistics providers that transport or store products without changing them;
contractors working under an outsourcing agreement (Section 13 of the standard).
FSC's own page puts it the same way: CoC is for companies that "label finished goods as FSC certified" or "sell FSC-certified products with FSC claims on sales documents" (fsc.org, Chain of Custody Certification).
2. Three common packaging chains, and whose code to check
A. Factory direct
One company prints, die-cuts, glues or forms your boxes, and invoices you.
Check: that company's FSC code on your invoice and at search.fsc.org.
Watch for: the legal name on the invoice must match the legal name on the FSC record.
B. A trading company in between
A trading company places the order with a factory, buys the boxes, and invoices you.
If the trading company takes legal ownership and invoices you, it needs its own FSC CoC certificate, and its own code must be on its invoice. The factory's certificate does not carry over.
FSC allows an invoice to show the supplier's code as well as the seller's own code, "but it must be clear which code belongs to the organization issuing the invoice and which is the suppliers' code" (FSC interpretation INT-STD-40-004_24, clause 5.1). A factory code alone on a trader's invoice is a red flag.
If the company acts purely as an agent and the certified factory invoices you directly, the agent does not need a certificate. The factory's code is the one that counts.
C. Printing and forming split between two companies
The printer prints the sheets; another company die-cuts, glues or forms the boxes. FSC treats this in two ways:
The box maker buys the printed sheets and sells you the boxes. It takes legal ownership, so it needs its own CoC certificate, and its code goes on your invoice.
The printer keeps ownership and outsources the forming. Section 13 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 allows a certified company to outsource work to certified or non-certified contractors (13.1). The certified company must tell its certification body before using a new contractor (13.3), sign an outsourcing agreement with any non-certified contractor (13.4), and "maintain legal ownership of all materials during outsourcing" (13.6). In this case the printer invoices you with the claim. FSC also allows the contractor to use the printer's certificate code on its delivery documents, if the printer approves (INT-STD-40-004_17).
You do not need to audit the contractor yourself. Ask one question: "Which company will invoice us, and under which FSC code?"
3. Quick reference table
Who invoices you | Whose certificate to check | What to look at on search.fsc.org |
The factory that prints and forms | The factory | Status valid; legal name, city and country match the invoice; paper packaging listed in the product groups |
A trading company that buys and resells | The trading company (its own code) | Same checks for the trading company; the factory's code alone is not enough |
The factory, with an agent arranging the deal | The factory | Same checks for the factory; the agent needs no code |
A box maker that bought printed sheets | The box maker | Same checks for the box maker |
The printer, with forming outsourced | The printer | Same checks for the printer; ask the printer to confirm the forming step is covered by its outsourcing arrangements |
4. What the invoice should show
Clause 5.1 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 lists what a certified seller's sales documents must include for products sold with FSC claims:
name and contact details of the seller;
information to identify the customer;
date of issue;
product name or description;
quantity;
the seller's FSC certificate code;
a clear FSC claim for each item or the total (for example FSC Mix or FSC Recycled, with the percentage or credit information that applies).
If the invoice does not travel with the goods, the delivery document must carry the same information and a reference to the invoice (clause 5.3). Keep these papers: retailer and auditor questions usually start there.
5. Does your brand need its own certificate?
Not always. FSC says its promotional licence is "designed for companies that are not certified but do sell or use FSC-certified finished and labelled goods". The same page says you need chain of custody certification if you want to apply an FSC label to your own finished goods, sell products with an FSC claim on invoices, or manufacture, repackage or relabel FSC-certified products. If you are unsure which applies, FSC points you to your local FSC team.
6. Checking one supplier
For the single-supplier check — licence code vs certificate code, status, name, product groups and red flags — follow our guide to verify an FSC certificate. When you match the FSC record to your paperwork, compare the legal name, city and country.
7. Where BOYA fits
BOYA Printing (Zhongshan Boya Color Printing Co., Ltd.) holds FSC chain of custody certificate FSC-C157096 / SAI-COC-004938, valid to 2030-05-12. Check the code and its current status yourself at search.fsc.org.
We take printing work and forming work for corrugated color boxes and folding cartons. When you plan an FSC order with us, tell us at the quote stage, and ask us which company will appear on your invoice. That tells you whose code to check.
BOYA also holds ISO 9001 and ONE (formerly GMI) certification. MOQ from 1,000 pcs, depending on product and process. Typical lead times, depending on specifications: color boxes 7–15 days; folding cartons 10–25 days; rigid/gift boxes 15–45 days; tea, wine/liquor and mooncake boxes 15–30 days; displays typically 10–20 days.
FAQ
My supplier is a trading company. Do they need their own FSC certificate?
Yes, if they take legal ownership of the boxes and invoice you with an FSC claim. FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 requires CoC certification for every company that owns certified products and sells them with FSC claims. If they act purely as an agent and the certified factory invoices you, the factory's code is the one that counts.
The printer is certified but the box is formed elsewhere. Is the claim still valid?
It can be. If the box maker buys the printed sheets and resells the boxes, it needs its own certificate. If the printer keeps legal ownership and outsources the forming under Section 13 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1, the contractor does not need its own certificate and the printer invoices the claim. Ask which company invoices you.
What should the invoice show?
Under clause 5.1 of FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1: the seller's name and contact details, customer details, date, product description, quantity, the seller's FSC certificate code and a clear FSC claim, such as FSC Mix or FSC Recycled.
Is BOYA FSC certified?
Yes. BOYA Printing holds FSC chain of custody certificate FSC-C157096 / SAI-COC-004938, valid to 2030-05-12. You can check it at search.fsc.org. See our guide to verify an FSC certificate.
Sources (FSC official)
FSC-STD-40-004 V3-1 Chain of Custody Certification (approved 14 January 2021, effective 1 September 2021): document page https://connect.fsc.org/document-centre/documents/resource/302 ; PDF https://connect.fsc.org/document-centre/documents/retrieve/0229b10e-ebf8-4df1-b184-c0121051ad0c — Box 1; clauses 5.1, 5.3; Section 13 (13.1, 13.3, 13.4, 13.6).
FSC Interpretations of the Normative Framework — Chain of Custody (14/11/2025): https://connect.fsc.org/document-centre/documents/retrieve/ec83897a-967b-4861-b1a9-6b352de907cd — INT-STD-40-004_24; INT-STD-40-004_17.
fsc.org, Chain of Custody Certification: https://fsc.org/en/businesses/fsc-certifications-and-licences/chain-of-custody
fsc.org, Promotional licence: https://fsc.org/en/promotional-licence
FSC public certificate search: https://search.fsc.org/
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Email: denny@byprintings.com
BOYA Printing (byprintings.com) is the English website of Zhongshan Boya Color Printing Co., Ltd., a packaging printer founded in 2003 in Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan, Guangdong, China, making color boxes (folding cartons), corrugated color cartons and handmade rigid gift boxes. About BOYA
Reviewed by Denny Mo. Last updated: 2026-11.
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