Quick Facts
Rulon’s cutting edge finishing techniques provide customers with a long-lasting
durable finish without the use of urea or formaldehyde. The finishing process is
entirely water-based and does not release any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
into the environment.
Rulon Company has taken steps to reduce landfill waste. Rulon has partnered with
a local company that uses wood waste in their manufacturing processes. The
partnership has reduced Rulon's landfill waste by 45%. Rulon also recycles
paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, and soda cans.
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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
How does the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody (COC) break?
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification requires that the components used in the Material and Resources (MR) section comply with FSC COC regulations. One credit is available for the use of FSC certified wood products in the MR section under MR 7- Certified wood.
New 2008 LEED regulations specify that all FSC certified wood products must be provided to a project contractor or sub-contractor from a vendor who holds a current FSC Chain-of-Custody (COC) certificate and can provide their COC number on the final invoice. It is possible for anyone to purchase FSC material, but if the purchasing or manufacturing company does not hold a valid FSC COC certificate, the chain is broken and the product no longer qualifies for LEED MR 7 credit.
According to the FSC International website, companies that need to be FSC COC certified include:
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Any operation making, changing, trading, re-labeling or repackaging FSC-certified products needs to be COC certified in order to use the FSC trademarks and to enable its customers to make an FSC claim about these products. Source - FSC International at
www.fsc.org
By the FSC's definition, a company or customer (end user) cannot make any claims (i.e. - consider the dollar value of a product for MR 7 calculations) unless the final point of sale was an FSC COC certificate holder. The letters 'FSC', and the FSC 'Tree and Checkmark' trademark are both copy-write protected and only companies holding a valid COC certificate have the right to claim their products are FSC certified, contain FSC content, or can be used as FSC in the LEED MR 7 calculation.
In the past, some non-FSC COC certified companies have purchased FSC raw materials, or, subcontracted services from vendors that are FSC certified, and told LEED project teams that they can receive credit towards their MR 7 calculations. According to the new LEED regulations, this practice is unacceptable; wood product suppliers must provide FSC COC certification from all of their vendors, sub contractors, and suppliers in order to achieve FSC COC product certification for LEED program credits. Companies that do not hold a valid FSC COC certificate do not have a COC code and cannot use the letters 'FSC' on their invoices without violating copy-write laws.
How does breaking the Chain-of-Custody impact the bottom line?
If a product that is not FSC certified makes it all the way to installation on a project, it is the owner of the building who will suffer the most. To qualify for LEED certification, a project's potential LEED credits are reviewed to ensure compliance with LEED standards. Upon discovering wood material is not provided by an FSC COC certified supplier or manufacturer, the LEED review team may disqualify the product from the total LEED point potential. Just a few points can make the difference between a Silver, a Gold or even a Platinum category LEED project. This in turn can mean the loss of incentives provided by local, State, and Federal governments. Ensuring that all manufacturers and suppliers hold a valid FSC COC certificate provides assurance to your clients that they will receive the FSC COC LEED credit
The above information was researched, provided and is endorsed by Terry Campbell of Forest Product Solutions. (www.forestproductssolutions.com)
View the USGBC's April 7, 2008, "Revised Requirements
for Documenting the Use of FSC Certified Wood in LEED"
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