FSC certification
A Forest Stewardship Council audit that traces paperboard back to forests managed for biodiversity, worker rights, and indigenous land use.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification is an audited chain-of-custody program: the forest where the trees were grown is inspected against environmental and social criteria, each step of the paper supply chain (pulp mill, paperboard mill, converter) is audited separately, and only fully traced lots can carry the FSC logo on a finished product.
For brands, the practical meaning is that the FSC mark is one of the few sustainability claims that survives scrutiny from procurement teams, NGOs, and discerning customers. "Recyclable" is a property of the material; "FSC-certified" is a verifiable provenance statement. Most CustomBoxArena corrugated and SBS stocks are FSC-certified by default — the trade-off is roughly 5–10% on the unit price.
Related terms
- B-fluteA medium-weight corrugated grade (~3 mm thick) that adds real crush resistance while still printing cleanly — common for shipping mailers.
- DielineThe flat, two-dimensional template that defines exactly how a piece of packaging is cut, scored, and folded before it becomes a box.
- E-fluteA thin, fine corrugated material (~1.5 mm thick) used in mailer and retail boxes for a clean print surface with light cushioning.
- EmbossingA finishing technique that raises a portion of the printed surface using paired dies, creating a tactile relief without ink.