Chain of Custody - Final step

Roberto, since the carpenter/cabinet-maker would be considered the installer or "end user," no COC is required by the contractor according to the USGBC. The COC is only required for manufactures/suppliers/vendors. So the material would definitely count towards the credit as long as all invoices and COC's are documented correctly.

Hi Robert - I would have to respectfully offer a differing opinion from above and lean heavily towards saying 'No' - "purchasing FSC-COC certified wood (i.e 4'X8'[2,44x1,22m]) and giv[ing] it to the carpenter/ cabinet-maker for the final stage of production" will not satisify the COC criteria for LEED. The rational for my opinion comes from the "Document Addenda, LEED Reference Guide for Green Building Design and Construction, 2009 Edition (first edition)" Here's the link (you should take a look at this document and come to you own conclusion): http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=6392 Page 28 states that "Entities that install an FSC-certified product on the project building/site (typically project contractors or subcontractors, but also furniture installers and the like), do not require CoC certification as long as THEY DO NOT MODIFY THE PRODUCTS PACKAGING OR FORM EXCEPT AS REQURED FOR INSTALLATION (capitalization added). Contractors and sub-contractors that temporarily possess FSC-certified material prior to installation should be careful not mix or contaminate the FSC-certified material with non-FSC-certified material." In my opinion, converting sheets for FSC material into cabinets would qualify as modifying its form - going far beyond basic installation. | dp

Doug - I agree with your assessment here, but I am curious if you know the reasoning behind it. Why does the cabinet-maker need to be FSC-certified if he can provide CoC numbers for all the raw materials he uses? Does the FSC-certification process include other aspects of the contractor's business besides wood purchases?