What is FSC?
The FSC system allows businesses and consumers to identify, purchase, and to use wood, paper, and other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests and recycled sources.
Bk-bags holds an FSC® Chain of Custody certificate (licence code FSC-C232146, certificate IDFL-COC-128503, valid to October 2031). Paper bags can be ordered as FSC 100%, FSC Recycled or FSC Mix, with the claim and our licence code stated on your invoice. View our FSC certificate (PDF)
BKS Co Ltd FSC® Licence Code FSC-C232146
Responsible packaging
Corporate social responsibility and sustainability are more than just buzzwords. Consumers and societies expect businesses to be part of the solution when it comes to environmental and social issues. For any business associated with productive forests and forest products, working with FSC makes sense.
We can help your business with improved efficiency, market access, meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and more. We have tailored solutions for different sectors, and we provide additional tools for businesses that choose to work with us, such as marketing materials to promote your collaboration with FSC.
Why should you use FSC paper bags?
Our brand strategy is our point of reference for how we present ourselves and communicate. Using FSC-certified products, helps us to stand out, stay relevant,and grow our positive impact on the world’s forests.
Contact us for more information about responsible packaging for your business.
FSC Recycled
The FSC Recycled label means all the wood or paper in the product comes from reclaimed or re-used material.
Why is there an FSC Recycled label?
The FSC Recycled label was introduced to recognize the important role that recycling paper and timber plays in protecting the world’s forests. Unlike general ‘recycled’ claims, which require no verification, the FSC Recycled label assures that all the wood or paper in a product has been verified as genuinely recycled. Reclaimed materials can also be used in products carrying the FSC Mix label; however, only products containing 100% recycled material can carry the FSC Recycled label.
What does the FSC Recycled label mean?
Is it originally from an FSC forest? Wood products carrying the FSC Recycled label have been verified by a third-party certification body as being made from at least 70% post-consumer reclaimed materials, i.e. wood and or wood fiber that has been reclaimed from a product after that product has been used for its intended purpose by individuals or businesses. The remaining material must be verified as pre-consumer waste. Paper products can contain any balance of preconsumer and post-consumer reclaimed material as long as all applicable parts of the product are verified as reclaimed. The FSC Recycled label is not, however, a guarantee that the wood originally comes from an FSC certified forest.
Is it better to choose recycled or virgin products?
Recycling paper and wood products not only makes the best use of the yield of the tree (by extending the life span of its fibers), it also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill sites. The use of FSC Recycled paper and timber can help to alleviate the pressure of demand on sources of virgin material, thereby helping to protect the world’s forests. There will always be a need for virgin timber and pulp, as demand for timber products remains high and the life span of recycled fibers for use in paper manufacture is limited.
More questions
What is your FSC licence code?
FSC-C232146, held by BKS Co Ltd (certificate IDFL-COC-128503, valid to October 2031). FSC requires the licence code to appear wherever an FSC claim is made, on pack and in marketing, so it forms part of the artwork on any FSC-labelled bag we produce for you.
What does FSC certification actually guarantee?
It guarantees a verified chain of custody: that the wood or paper fibre in the product is traceable to well-managed forests, to reclaimed material, or to controlled sources, and that an independent certification body has checked it. It is a claim about where the fibre came from and how it was tracked. It is not, by itself, a claim about recycled content percentage or carbon footprint.
What is the difference between FSC 100%, FSC Mix and FSC Recycled?
FSC 100% means all fibre comes from FSC-certified forests. FSC Recycled means all fibre is reclaimed and verified as genuinely recycled, which ordinary recycled claims are not. FSC Mix blends certified, recycled and controlled material. Note that FSC Mix Credit, one form of the Mix label, works on a credit balance rather than a minimum content in the item itself, so if your claim depends on the fibre in the bag you are holding, ask us which Mix system applies before you quote it.
Does the FSC Recycled label mean the wood originally came from an FSC forest?
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. FSC Recycled verifies that the material is reclaimed. It says nothing about whether the original tree was grown in an FSC-certified forest. For wood products the label requires at least 70% post-consumer reclaimed material with the balance verified as pre-consumer waste. Paper products can carry any balance of pre and post-consumer reclaimed material provided all applicable parts are verified as reclaimed.
Should I choose FSC Recycled or virgin FSC paper?
Recycled fibre extends the useful life of the tree and keeps paper out of landfill, and it reduces pressure on virgin sources. But recycled paper fibre can only be reprocessed a limited number of times before it is too short to use, so virgin certified pulp still has to enter the system. For most retail bags FSC Mix is the practical answer. Choose FSC Recycled when the recycled claim is the point of the packaging.