On July 25, FSC announced it would strip DuChateau/American Guild (San Diego) of its FSC certification indefinitely. After the companyâs certification was temporarily suspended by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), DuChateau chose to terminate its FSC Certification July 5.
In May, DuChateau had its temporarily certification suspended by the FSC after an investigation by Accreditation Services International determined the company had fraudulently labeled material as FSC-certified. The company said it corrected its records after being made aware of the mislabeled material, but denied allegations of fraud. Its suspension was to last 12 months, after which it could reapply for the certification.
DuChateau President Benjamin Buzali issued the following statement:
DuChâteau sent notice to terminate our FSC certification on July 5, 2018. Sustainability has been, and remains, a core value of DuChâteau. As unfortunate as this decision was, we view this as an opportunity to review and strengthen our own internal compliance and environmental procedures. To ensure we will continue to be a leader in our industry, we want to take the time and due diligence required to implement best-in-class solutions. We look forward to sharing some of the programs in development later this year.
FSC said it decided to block DuChateau âfor the foreseeable futureâ after the company gave notice it was leaving the FSC system.
âThat means that no certification body can grant them an FSC certificate of any kind,â FSC said. âCompanies that do not, in good faith, follow the requirements of the FSC system will find themselves increasingly under scrutiny by FSC and ASI as the system investigates and takes action on non-conforming products and false claims.â
