Gemline (asi/56070) has taken another step forward in its sustainability journey.

The Lawrence, MA-headquartered Top 40 promotional products supplier has received FSC Chain-of-Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The certification traces the path of products from forests through the supply chain, verifying that FSC-certified material is identified or kept separate from non-certified material throughout.

Gemline said it underwent a rigorous auditing process, performed by SCS Global Services, a leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing and standards development.

“Gemline is deeply committed to its corporate social responsibility efforts and to expanding our offering of sustainable solutions across the marketplace,” said Frank Carpenito, president.

He added that the FSC Chain-of-Custody certification was particularly important to the company as it continues to partner with eco-conscious brands and develop its own more eco-centric products. “The chain-of-custody process ensures that the FSC-certified products acquired by end-users are coming from responsibly managed sources,” he said.

The FSC is an independent nonprofit that has established a certification system to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Chain-of-custody is the path taken by raw materials harvested from FSC-certified sources through processing, manufacturing and distribution until it’s a final product ready for sale to the end-user.

Gemline said it sought FSC Chain-of-Custody certification as a result of its commitment to sustainability and partnership with Out of the Woods in January. Out of the Woods specializes in reusable bags and insulated coolers made from so-called Supernatural Paper, which uses tree cellulose sourced from responsibly managed, FSC-certified forests. Gemline added that it expects to announce other FSC-certified partner initiatives in the future.

Gemline has undertaken a number of sustainability-related initiatives in recent years, outlining many of them in a 2021 corporate social responsibility report released in April. For instance, the supplier became a certified member of the Sustainable Business Leader Program through the Sustainable Business Leadership Network of Massachusetts.

With 2021 North American promotional products revenue of $127.5 million, Gemline ranks as the 10^th-largest supplier in the industry.

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