Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc. is a fully independent, nonprofit organization that manages the largest single forest certification standard in the world. SFI requirements for forest management, chain of custody and responsible fiber sourcing all require third-party audits to maintain an internationally recognized and trusted standard of practice.

What is SFI forest certification?
The SFI 2010-2014 Standard promotes sustainable forest management in North America through 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. There are also 20 objectives, 39 performance measures and 114 indicators developed by professional foresters, conservationists, scientists and others.

Why choose SFI-certified products?
SFI certification tells buyers a product is from responsible and legal sources. It means harvested areas are reforested promptly, biological diversity maintained, laws obeyed, special sites considered, wildlife habitat maintained, and much more.  

The SFI program directly addresses the fact that just 10 percent of the world’s forests are certified. The SFI Standard requires that SFI program participants – both those who own or manage forest lands and those who buy the raw materials they need – have an auditable procurement process designed to improve forest management on all suppliers' lands, including lands that are not certified. Outside of North America, they must take measures to avoid fiber from illegal or high-risk sources.

What is third-party certification?
Through SFI third-party certification, independent, objective, qualified certification bodies evaluate planning, procedures, systems and performance of on-the-ground forest operations against a predetermined standard. If they conform, a certificate is issued.

What is chain-of-custody certification?
A company can apply for an SFI chain-of-custody certification if it has processes in place to identify how much of a product comes from certified lands, how much contains post-consumer recycled content, and how much is non-certified/non-controversial forest content.

Does SFI certify forests outside of North America?
No. The SFI program only certifies lands in the United States and Canada where there are comprehensive forest laws and processes. It has international acceptance, and has been endorsed by the nonprofit Programme for the Certification of Forest Certification (PEFC).

What percentage of certified fiber in North America can use the SFI label?
The SFI on-product label can be used to identify fiber certified to any standard in North America endorsed by PEFC as long as there is a valid SFI or PEFC chain-of-custody certificate. This includes the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). This means that more than three-quarters of all the certified fiber in North America is eligible to carry the SFI label through chain-of-custody certification.

Do green building rating systems recognize SFI certification?
Yes, most green building rating systems around the world recognize SFI certification, including two ANSI-approved systems in the United States – the ANSI/ICC 700-2008:National Green Building Standard for residential construction and the ANSI-GBI 01-2010 Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings (formerly Green Globes U.S.) for commercial construction.

Who else recognizes SFI certification?
The SFI program is endorsed by the independent, nonprofit Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) and recognized by influential organizations around the world such as the American Consumer Council, conservation groups, nonprofits and governments, including Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and others.

How can I find SFI-certified products?
SFI-certified products are a good choice for millwork, for lumber and timber, for windows and doors – even for the paper used in your office. Learn more or search for products at www.sfiprogram.org.

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