Chain of Custody sounds like paperwork until a hotel group asks for it in a tender and a supplier cannot produce it. This is the plain version, written for the person who has to attach the evidence to a spec sheet.
It certifies the wood's path, not the forest
Forest Management certification covers the woodland itself. Chain of Custody covers everything after the tree: purchasing, storage, cutting, finishing and shipping are documented at every transfer, so certified material can never quietly mix with material of unknown origin.
The system is audited by an independent certification body, annually. It is not a sustainability statement a company wrote about itself.
Why it decides hospitality tenders
Public projects, large hotel groups and many hospitality and Scandinavian brands have sustainable-sourcing clauses written into procurement policy. Where those clauses exist, a supplier without certification is filtered out before anyone looks at the furniture.
It also ends an argument. Instead of a discussion about where the oak came from, there is a certificate number that can be checked against FSC's public database in under a minute.
What documentation to ask for
Four things. The certificate itself as a PDF, showing the certificate holder's legal name and validity dates. The certificate code, so you can verify it independently rather than trusting the PDF. The product scope — certification covers specific product groups, and solid wood furniture needs to be inside that scope. And FSC claims stated on the invoice or delivery note for your specific order, because that is what links your pieces to the certificate.
A supplier who cannot produce all four on request is not certified in the way your tender needs.
How ours works in practice
WOODAIM's furniture is produced by Žliobiškis, UAB, which holds the FSC Chain of Custody certificate — so the legal name on the certificate differs from the brand name on the piece, and procurement teams should expect that. The certificate is downloadable from our certifications page.
Our manufacturing partners are FSC certified as well, and certification is maintained across the supply chain — which is the part that matters, because certification only means something if it survives the whole chain. The claim is carried on the documents for your order.