On 24th July 2008, GPS Colour Graphics Ltd became the first commercial printing company in Northern Ireland to be accredited under the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  This is a continuation of the process begun back in 2006 when GPS became the first commercial printers on the island of Ireland to be Carbon Neutral.

What is FSC?
The Forest Stewardship Council (the FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests.  They maintain standards which all of their accredited members follow.

The FSC is endorsed by major environmental charities including Greenpeace and the WWF and provides assurance to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are helping promote the sustainable management of forests.

What is PEFC?
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (or PEFC Council) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.

It is a global umbrella organisation for the assessment and mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes developed in a multi-stakeholder process. These national schemes build upon the inter-governmental processes for the promotion of sustainable forest management, a series of on-going mechanisms supported by 149 governments in the world covering 85% of the world's forest area.

What is Chain of Custody Certification?
The certification process traces forest products through every link in the supply chain from the retailers back via manufacturers to the original well-managed forest.  If, at any stage, the paper trail breaks down, the end product cannot be marketed as FSC approved or PEFC approved. 

Customers can rest assured that GPS products which carry the FSC or PEFC logos come from forests managed to meet social, economic and ecological needs.  Like all FSC/PEFC accredited suppliers we will be independently audited at regular intervals to ensure that proper procedures are always followed.

Chain of Custody Policy Statement  pdf

What Can You Do?
As GPS has now achieved FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody accreditation we can now offer customers the opportunity to make their documents FSC or PEFC certified.

Our first FSC publication, for the Grand Opera House, Belfast, was recently unveiled.