FSC 100%
All of the material comes from FSC-certified forests.
What Does FSC Certified Mean?
FSC certified means the wood in a product came from forests managed to Forest Stewardship Council standards, and every company that handled it was certified to keep it separate. In clothing, you'll see it on wood-based fibers like viscose, lyocell and modal, because they're made from wood pulp.
What FSC checks
- Forest management, including biodiversity, workers' rights and Indigenous Peoples' rights
- Chain of custody, which tracks certified material through each company that buys, processes and sells it
- Which of three label types the product earns: FSC 100%, FSC Mix or FSC Recycled
- A licence code on the label that links to a certified company
What FSC doesn’t cover
- How the pulp is turned into fiber. The solvents and chemistry of viscose processing are outside FSC's scope.
- The finished fabric, including dyes, finishes and residues
- Anything in the garment that isn't wood-based, like polyester or elastane
- Companies that only hold a promotional licence. They can promote FSC products without being certified themselves.
The three FSC labels
Every FSC label names one of three sources for the wood-based material.
FSC Mix
A mix of material from FSC-certified forests, recycled material and FSC controlled wood, which FSC uses to lower the risk of wood from unacceptable sources.
FSC Recycled
All of the material is recycled. FSC says it's still working to extend this label to fashion and textiles.
How to check a FSC certificate
FSC labels carry a licence code, and FSC runs a public database of everyone who holds one.
- Find the code. Look for the licence code printed on the FSC label or the brand's FSC materials.
- Search it. Enter the code in FSC Search to see the company behind it and the status of its certificate or licence.
FSC questions
Why does FSC show up on clothing?
Viscose, lyocell and modal are made from dissolved wood pulp. FSC certification covers where that wood came from. FSC says more than half of these fibers still come from uncertified forests.
Does FSC certified viscose mean the fabric is non-toxic?
No. FSC covers the forest and the chain of custody. It doesn't cover the chemistry used to turn pulp into fiber or anything added to the fabric later.
Is FSC the same as PEFC?
Both certify forests and chain of custody for wood-based materials. They're separate systems with their own standards and labels.