ISO 38200:2018 Chain of Custody of Wood and Wood-based Products is an international standard for the management of wood and wood-based products throughout the supply chain. The standard was developed to provide a framework for ensuring that wood and wood-based products are derived from legal and sustainable sources.

The standard provides a set of principles and requirements for managing the chain of custody of wood and wood-based products. These principles and requirements include the identification, recording, and tracing of wood and wood-based products, as well as the assurance that they originate from legal and sustainable sources. The standard also covers the establishment of a chain of custody system, the management of information, verification, and certification of the chain of custody.

The standard is designed to help companies demonstrate the legality and sustainability of their wood and wood-based products. Its requirements are intended to provide an assurance of the legal and sustainable origin of the products and to give companies the ability to trace their products from the source through the entire supply chain.

The standard is intended to provide a transparent, reliable, and verifiable assurance that wood and wood-based products originate from legal and sustainable sources. It is also intended to facilitate the identification of products that are derived from illegal sources, such as illegal logging or the harvesting of wood from protected areas.

The standard applies to all wood and wood-based products, including those derived from forestry operations, from the harvesting of timber to the end product. It is applicable to all stages of the supply chain, including the harvesting, processing, trading, and retailing of wood and wood-based products.

The standard is designed to be used by companies that are involved in the supply chain of wood and wood-based products. It is intended to be implemented by companies that are committed to legal and sustainable sources of wood and wood-based products, as well as by companies that are willing to demonstrate their commitment to these standards. It is also intended to be used by third-party certifiers who verify the chain of custody of wood and wood-based products.

Implementing the standard is intended to help companies demonstrate their commitment to legal and sustainable sources of wood and wood-based products. The standard is also intended to help companies demonstrate their commitment to protecting the environment, and to promote the responsible management of forests.

By implementing the standard, companies can demonstrate that they are taking meaningful steps to ensure that their wood and wood-based products originate from legal and sustainable sources.