FSC Certified Products - Documentation?

You pose a very good question and I doubt that I have enough space here to fully answer, however should this basic reply not cover all your answers you can email me direct on barry@buildingwise.net.
Going back to basics the reason that FSC compliant materials is required is so that forestry operations can prove that the total ‘environment package’ has been supported through all the aspects of planting, growth, cutting, processing and final delivery to the customer. If what we were talking about was a single piece of 2’ x 4’ timber, then a letter (a ‘chain of custody’ document) would, in the basic vernacular, comply with the GBCI’s requirement for credit approval. Along with invoices showing the total FSC compliant materials used within the construction processes, the chain of custody letter then forms a package that the GBCI would expect to see. However, the timber doesn’t always arrive on site as a single piece of 2 x 4. In many cases that timber has been supplied to other manufactures to create another product…a sheet of laminated timber, ply wood as an example. Here the GBCI will require at least the plywood manufacturer to supply you with a letter of attestation that the plywood contains a certain percentage of FSC compliant timber. (A trip to the local timber yard may show these plywood panels with a stamp says, ‘contains FSC compliant lumber’. This stamp of course actually means nothing at all. From the supplier you will need to get a ‘compliant letter’ that gives the accurate amount of FSC percentage used within the board. [NOTE: this could be a minefield of what constitutes a compliant letter])
Should you be purchasing furniture, that also can contain FSC percentages…the same rules apply. Major manufacturers however are fully on board. To single out only one..Haworth, gives us no problems as their letters of attestation are fully compliant with LEED and, up to now, are totally accepted by GBCI.
This now leaves us with paper, and probably copy paper as the main question. In the US most manufacturers are compliant by providing on line documentation that complies with the FSC percentage as above, to date has been accepted by GBCI, but the core question (which at last I’ve got to) is how do you go about claiming FSC compliant copy paper when the manufacturer of the copy paper doesn’t have that designation.
In order to meet the requirement for GBCI, let’s first look at what’s in the US market place and try to create a plan for you to match up. This wording is taken from Office Depot’s website (this in no way picks OD as the main supplier, Staples and others do great work):
• Greener choice — contains 30% postconsumer recycled content.
• Meets the global standards of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Forest Stewardship Council US-0081. FSC Certification ensures responsible use of forest resources and provides assurance that the fiber in this paper comes from forests that are well-managed to protect biodiversity and the livelihoods of the people that depend on those forests.
• Green Seal®-certified to ensure lower impact on the environment and human health.

As you can see the FSC section is very detailed. Your supplier would have to investigate the wood pulp portion of the paper and clearly lay out the chain of custody of exactly where that pulp came from…right back to the tree! Once at the tree, the forest in which that tree was removed and the operations that are associated with forestry practices would need to meet FSC requirements, in their entirety. (This is too long to explain here)
So, finally, what is the best? Each component of construction materials, furniture and paper have a different piece of support material that will be accepted by GBCI:
2 x 4’s-Chain of custody letter
Furniture- Cutsheets, official/compliancy letter from the manufacturer (maybe even MSDS sheets)
Paper- Official/Compliancy letter, MSDS (maybe)
So, yes, many of us have provided the data above to comply with MR c1 and c3