On 01 January 2022, a new version of ADVICE-40-004-18 Addressing false FSC claims on products/projects containing material from unacceptable sources and FSC-PRO-10-003 Calculating Financial Penalty/Compensation Fee and Processing Evidence for Blocked Organizations will become effective.
These new versions clarify and provide more guidance on how to deal with false claims. New content includes:
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Clarification of the scope of the Advice Note
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Clarification of actions to be taken by certification bodies, certificate holders and FSC/ASI
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Recording of false claims on the FSC certification database
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Requirements for undertaking a root cause analysis of false claims and options to self-declare false claims
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Hierarchy of consequences for types of false claims – ranging from non-conforming products requirements to blockage
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Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and duty of co-operation