Chain of Custody

Applicants must understand the requirements of the Chain of Custody standard, AS4707, and develop documented procedures that will be applied to meet the requirements of this standard.

What does the Chain of Custody certification process involve?

Application

If you are interested in Chain of Custody certification, you must send a letter to the EWPAA at inbox@ewp.asn.au notifying us of your desire to be certified. This letter must include: the business name, ABN number, contact information and addresses for each site, a description of the business (manufacturer, sawmill, importer etc.) and the desired scope of certification.

We will contact you to request any additional information and go through the process in more detail.

Stage One Audit

Applicants must send their documented procedures to the EWPAA for review. This review will verify that the documented procedures meet the requirements of the standard. We will provide a report detailing any deficiencies in these procedures. You will also need to pay the application fee detailed in the Chain of Custody fee schedule.

Implementation

Applicants are required to address any of the deficiencies identified during the Stage One Audit. Once this is complete, the mill must implement these procedures across all sites with the exception of making certification claims. This includes, but is not limited to:

  1. Providing training to all staff with Chain of Custody duties.
  2. Implementing the Due Diligence System for all suppliers.
  3. Implementing physical separation or inventory control systems to monitor certification status of timber.
  4. Performing and Internal Audit and Management Review of the Chain of Custody system.
Stage Two Audit

Once implementation is complete, the EWPAA will perform an onsite audit to review the documented procedures and ensure that these procedures have been implemented effectively. We shall identify any areas where you do not meet the requirements of the Chain of Custody standard.

You will need to pay the audit fees detailed in the Chain of Custody fee schedule.

Action to Address Non-Conformities

Applicants must implement corrective action to address any non-conformities raised during the Stage Two audit. Evidence demonstrating that these non-conformities have been addressed must be submitted to the EWPAA. The EWPAA may perform additional onsite audits to verify this action has been effective. You may be charged for any additional audits that are performed.

Decision

Once evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that all non-conformities have been addressed, the application will be given to an independent auditor to review the application and make a decision on certification.

Once certification is approved, the applicant must pay the EWPAA certification fee detailed in the Chain of Custody fee schedule and the Responsible Wood notification fee as detailed on the Responsible Wood website.

Certification Documentation

Once the application has been approved, you will be provided with a Chain of Custody certificate and will be added to the EWPAA, JAS-ANZ, Responsible Wood and PEFC certification registers.

Ongoing Certification

We will perform an onsite surveillance audit every year. This audit ensures that the site is continuing to implement the requirements of the Chain of Custody Standard.

Each year certified sites must pay the certification fee and audit fees detailed in the Chain of Custody fee schedule and the Responsible Wood notification fee.

Programs & Standards

Certification Schemes
Education & Training
Standards Development
Research & Development
Technical Promotion
Market Maintenance