SIG Combibloc is now the only manufacturer of carton packs that is certified for a continuous chain of custody (CoC) at all its production sites world-wide in accordance with the criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).


SIG Combibloc is now the only manufacturer of carton packs that is certified for a continuous chain of custody (CoC) at all its production sites world-wide in accordance with the criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This certification means SIG Combibloc can now offer its customers all over the world carton packs that are permitted to bear the label “FSC Mix.”

This FSC label proves that all the wood fibers used to manufacture the carton packaging, from the labeled carton pack right back to forest of origin, can be traced continuously in accordance with the CoC standards of the FSC. In addition, the label is a guarantee that appropriate quantities of the wood used to manufacture the unprocessed cardboard were bought from FSC-certified forests managed to the highest standards. “FSC Mix” denotes the product group from well-managed forests and other controlled sources.

In mid-2009, all of SIG Combibloc’s European production sites were certified in accordance with the FSC criteria for a continuous chain of custody. And since the end of 2009, the company’s plants in China, Thailand and Riyadh have also achieved the corresponding certification.

“Acting with responsibility and foresight and ensuring that our packaging solutions for long-life foods continue to be among the most environmentally friendly food packaging systems is one of our paramount strategic business objectives,” said Rolf Stangl, CEO of SIG Combibloc. “We are therefore extremely proud to be the first manufacturer in the industry to have implemented the FSC CoC certification of all our production sites worldwide. The end-to-end compliance with the demanding standards of the FSC gives a clear signal that the long-term safeguarding of resources and the judicious selection of the natural resources we use according to the highest environmental standards, are important aspects of our corporate philosophy.”

Carton packs from SIG Combibloc consist up to 75%of wood pulp, which is obtained from wood, a renewable raw material. SIG Combibloc requires all its suppliers of unprocessed cardboard to operate production facilities that are certified according to the FSC CoC standard, in order to cover the value-added chain from forest to carton. This ensures that − for the manufacture of the unprocessed cardboard − controversial wood sources can be avoided. The traceability of the wood fibers back to the forest of origin is guaranteed and only wood from controlled sources or ecologically exemplary forest management is used.

The FSC CoC certification of SIG Combibloc’s production sites continues the chain of custody in accordance with the FSC criteria right up to the labeled carton pack. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, independent, non-profit organization that works to promote responsible forest management. The council was founded in 1993 following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and draws its membership from environmental organizations and development associations, trades unions and representatives from forestry and the wood industry. Its objective is to promote, world-wide, the responsible, exemplary use of forest resources. To do this, the FSC issues certificates for wood and wood products originating from socially and environmentally responsible forestry. The organization has drawn up a rigorous checklist consisting of ten mandatory principles and 56 criteria for good forestry practice. Compliance with these principles is checked on an ongoing basis by independent certification organizations, and the outcomes are reported back to the FSC.

The certification is also documented in the FSC database ( www.fsc.org). SIG Combibloc has certification code SW-COC-004130.