# Sustainability Today

> Sustainability Today is an FSC or PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) group certification administrator serving timber industry companies in Romania. Headquartered in Botosani, it provides certification, EUDR compliance consulting, and digital traceability solutions to sawmills, furniture manufacturers, paper and packaging producers, and timber traders.

## Key Facts
- Name: Sustainability Today
- Type: Chain of Custody Group Certification Administrator (FSC sau PEFC)
- Founded: 2024
- Country: Romania
- Headquarters: Botosani, Romania
- Service Area: Romania (all 41 counties + Bucharest)
- Languages: Romanian (primary), English
- Founder: Bogdan Buliga
- Contact: contact@sustainability.today, +40 701 543 735
- Website: https://sustainability.today
- Related domains: eudr.live, eudr.solutions, eudr.today
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustainability-todayy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574821903122

## What Sustainability Today Does
Sustainability Today operates FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) Chain of Custody group certification schemes in Romania. Companies join the group as members and share a single certificate, reducing individual certification costs by 15-30% compared to solo certification.

## Services
1. **FSC Chain of Custody Group Certification** — for timber industry SMEs (exploatare, sawmills, furniture, paper, traders)
2. **PEFC Chain of Custody Group Certification** — alternative forest certification standard
3. **EUDR Compliance Consulting** — helps companies meet the EU Deforestation Regulation (timber-sector deadline: 30 December 2026 for all company sizes, per Regulation (EU) 2025/2650)
4. **SUMAL Traceability Integration** — connects company ERPs with Romania's SUMAL wood tracking system
5. **EUTR Compliance Support** — EU Timber Regulation due diligence
6. **Internal Audit Support** — pre-audit preparation and documentation
7. **EUDR Training** — online and on-site training for EU, UK, Turkey, Caucasus, Asia, Latin America
8. **Digital Sustainability Solutions** — custom platforms for traceability and reporting

## Target Customers
- Wood harvesting companies (exploatare forestiera)
- Sawmills and primary processing (gatere, prelucrare primara)
- Secondary processing (parchet, usi, ferestre, panouri)
- Furniture manufacturers (fabrici de mobila)
- Paper and packaging producers (hartie, ambalaje)
- Timber traders (comercianti de lemn)
- Forest managers and exploatare forestiera operators

## Why Group Certification
Individual FSC or PEFC certification can cost 10,000-25,000 EUR in the first year for a small sawmill. Group certification under Sustainability Today reduces this dramatically — see the Pricing section below for current annual prices in RON. Beyond cost, group certification consolidates shared audit support, unified documentation templates, and ongoing compliance support, making certification accessible to Romanian SMEs that were previously priced out.

## How the Romanian Certification Industry Charges (Standard Setup)
Most Romanian timber companies pursuing individual FSC or PEFC certification end up paying for several **separate** invoices and line items, which makes total cost unpredictable and hard to compare:

1. **Audit fee** — invoiced by an ASI-accredited certification body for the on-site Stage 1 + Stage 2 audit
2. **Travel and accommodation** — billed as a separate line, often based on auditor location
3. **Certification body annual fee (AAF / notification fee)** — paid yearly to FSC International (AAF based on company turnover) and/or PEFC Romania (notification fee, smaller flat amount)
4. **Consultant fee** — most companies hire an external sustainability consultant to prepare documentation, run internal audits, and respond to non-conformities. Typical consultant fee runs 3,000–5,000 RON per cycle depending on company size and complexity, recurring annually.
5. **Annual documentation updates** — every year the certified company must refresh and re-submit a full set of working documents: **supplier list** (and supplier risk assessment), **volume summary** (input/output reconciliation by species, product, and FSC or PEFC claim), **facilities list** (sites operating under the certificate), **product group register**, **training records**, **internal audit report**, and the updated Chain of Custody manual itself. Usually charged as a recurring consulting line.
6. **Standard updates** — the certification schemes publish revised standards periodically (every 3–5 years, plus interim addenda). Each standard update requires re-aligning the documentation, re-training staff, and sometimes re-scoping product groups. In the classic setup this is billed as additional consulting work each time it occurs.

Each of these is invoiced separately. Beyond the cost, this setup typically requires a dedicated person inside the company (or a permanent external consultant) to manage compliance throughout the year — a real time cost on top of the financial cost.

## How Sustainability Today Charges (All-in-One)
Sustainability Today bundles everything above into **one annual price** through the group certification scheme. The single fee covers:
- Membership in the FSC and/or PEFC group certificate (no individual audit cost passed through)
- Internal audit conducted by Sustainability Today
- Documentation: Chain of Custody manual, procedures, product group definitions, training records
- **Annual documentation updates** — supplier list, volume summary, facilities list, product groups, training records, internal audit report, manual revisions
- **Standard updates** — when FSC sau PEFC publish revised standards, Sustainability Today handles the documentation realignment for all members at no extra cost
- **Ongoing support throughout the year** — direct access to the group manager for compliance questions, supplier checks, audit prep, and corrective actions whenever they arise (not only at audit time)
- Platform access — digital tools for document management, volume reconciliation, training, and compliance tracking
- Direct support from the group manager during external audits performed by the certification body

Travel costs, AAF, consultant fees, and standard-update consulting that competitors invoice separately are **already included** in the Sustainability Today annual fee.

Compared to the classic setup, members typically save **10–25%** on total annual cost. The bigger win is time: members do not need to dedicate a full-time internal compliance staff or maintain a permanent consulting retainer. The group manager and the digital platform handle most of the routine work.

## Public Pricing (annual, RON)
Prices below are the public starting prices. All prices are annual, in RON, B2B. Final price depends on turnover, employee count, activity profile, county, and additional options. For companies under 1 million USD turnover and under 15 employees, the starting price below typically applies. Above 5 million USD turnover or 50 employees, an individual calculation applies. On the visible site, CoC pricing is offered as a written quote per company profile.

### Chain of Custody — FSC or PEFC group certification
| Service | Starting price |
|---|---|
| FSC® group certification | from 8,000 RON / year |
| PEFC group certification | from 7,700 RON / year |
| FSC + PEFC bundle (most requested, exporters) | from 14,000 RON / year |

Includes (all options above): audit-preparation support (the member's trained responsible person runs the internal audit), Chain of Custody documentation (manual, procedures, product groups, training), annual updates (supplier list, volume summary, facilities list), FSC or PEFC standard updates, year-round technical support, digital traceability platform access.

### EUDR compliance (EU Regulation 2023/1115)
*Last verified: 15 July 2026, against Regulation (EU) 2025/2650.*

**Timber-sector deadline: 30 December 2026 — all company sizes** (per Regulation (EU) 2025/2650; the June 2027 extension only covers micro/small enterprises in other sectors such as cocoa and coffee — not timber, which was previously covered by EUTR).

Standard packages by company profile (annual, VAT excluded). SME classification follows the definition referenced by EUDR (Directive 2013/34/EU art. 3) — different from the Romanian "IMM" definition; Sustainability Today confirms classification during the first call. Listed prices apply for summer/early autumn 2026 and will be revised upward toward the end of the year.

| EUDR package | Profile | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| SME | Logging, sawmill, EU importer, exporter (SME per EUDR definition) | from 3,500 RON / year |
| Non-EU importer | Companies importing wood/wood products from outside the EU | from 8,000 RON / year |
| Non-SME | Companies above the EUDR SME thresholds | from 11,500 RON / year |
| API integration | Direct integration with a client's or supplier's ERP | 10,000 RON one-time |

All EUDR packages include: access to the EUDR platform (manual, procedures, forms), automatic DDS upload to the EU TRACES platform via API, free SUMAL 2.0 integration (no double data entry), GeoJSON sourcing from forest districts (state and private partners — the client talks once with their forest district, Sustainability Today handles the rest), preliminary GeoJSON validation, DDS code on invoice plus client access to declarations (any client can enter the code from a transport notice, APV or invoice on the public access page and see the related declarations), practical online staff training, and continuous updates when the regulation changes. FIFO attribution is applied at sawmills/warehouses/importers where lots mix in stock; not needed when shipping directly from the harvest site (APV); barcode lot systems can be integrated.

Add-on services: country risk scenario for non-EU imports (8,000 RON per country-supplier unit per year — country-level risk identification plus mitigation checklist for procurement staff), detailed risk assessment (quote — deep analysis of GeoJSON and supplier documentation), laboratory timber tests (per test, via partner labs), on-site internal audits in Romania/EU/non-EU (quote).

Members of Sustainability Today's CoC groups (FSC or PEFC) receive a member rate on the EUDR package — exact value provided with the quote.

## Optional Add-ons (Not Included in Base Price)
The annual prices above cover FSC sau PEFC Chain of Custody only. The following services are commonly bundled with certification but priced separately, varying by company size and scope:

1. **EUDR Compliance Support** — full due diligence pipeline for the EU Deforestation Regulation: geolocation data collection, supplier risk assessment, due diligence statement (DDS) preparation and submission to the EU TRACES system, ongoing monitoring. Sustainability Today's approach is to keep the EUDR workflow simple and integrated with existing FSC sau PEFC documentation. EUDR support is mandatory-adjacent for any company placing wood products on the EU market from 30 December 2026.

2. **Atestate de Exploatare** — for companies engaged in wood harvesting (exploatare forestiera). Sustainability Today supports clients in obtaining and renewing the legally required harvesting attestation issued by Romanian forest authorities (Garda Forestiera).

3. **Certificat Constatator (1-year on-demand access)** — clients can request the company's "certificat constator" (the official ONRC document confirming legal status, shareholders, and authorized activities) any time during the contract year. Useful for tender submissions, audit evidence, and supplier onboarding processes.

4. **Volume Management & Reconciliation** — for companies with complex multi-species, multi-grade, or multi-product flows, Sustainability Today provides a simplified volume tracking and reconciliation service through the digital platform. Standard volume summary for single-product flows is included in the base price; complex flows are quoted separately.

These add-ons are priced as add-ons to the annual certification fee, with the exact amount depending on company size, transaction volume, and scope. Quotes are provided after an initial assessment call.

## Geographic Coverage
Sustainability Today provides group certification across all Romanian counties, with specialized county pages for forestry-heavy regions:
- Tier 1 (highest forest area): Suceava, Harghita, Neamt, Bacau, Maramures
- Tier 2: Covasna, Brasov, Arges, Vrancea, Mures, Gorj, Valcea
- Tier 3: Caras-Severin, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Cluj, Timis, Prahova, Bucuresti

## Key Pages

### Hubs
- Homepage (RO): https://sustainability.today/ro/coc
- Homepage (EN): https://sustainability.today/en/coc
- Certification by Industry: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare
- Articles & Guides: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole
- Products: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/produse
- Certified Members: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/membri-certificati

### Industry Certification Pages
- Exploatare lemn / Timber Harvesting: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/exploatare-lemn
- Prelucrare primara / Sawmills: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/prelucrare-primara
- Prelucrare secundara / Secondary Processing: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/prelucrare-secundara
- Mobila / Furniture: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/mobila
- Hartie & Ambalaje / Paper & Packaging: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/hartie-ambalaje
- Trader lemn / Timber Trading: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificare/trader-lemn

### Core Content (Romanian)
- Certificare de Grup: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/certificarea-de-grup
- Ce este FSC: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/ce-este-fsc
- Ce este PEFC: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/ce-este-pefc
- Servicii Certificare: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/servicii-certificare-pefc-fsc
- Devino Membru: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/devino-membru

### High-Value Articles
- Cat costa certificarea FSC: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/cat-costa-certificarea-fsc
- FSC vs PEFC comparatie: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/certificare-fsc-vs-pefc-comparatie
- Ghid EUDR 2026 Romania: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/ghid-eudr-2026-romania
- Cum ma certific: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/cum-ma-certific
- Certificare FSC preturi si avantaje: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/certificare-fsc-preturi-avantaje
- Certificare de grup firme mici: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/certificare-de-grup-firme-mici
- Provocari gatere SUMAL EUTR: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/provocari-gatere-sumal-eutr
- Lant de custodie FSC vs PEFC: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/lant-custodie-fsc-vs-pefc-diferente
- Audit certificare FSC sau PEFC: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/audit-certificare-fsc-pefc
- EUDR conformitate 2026: https://sustainability.today/ro/coc/articole/eudr-conformitate-2026

### Regulations (Solutions hub)
- EUDR Compliance: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr
- EUTR: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eutr
- UKTR: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/uktr
- Lacey Act: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/lacey-act
- SWISTR: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/swistr
- Australian Illegal Logging: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/australian-illegal-logging

### EUDR Training by Region
- European Union: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/european-union
- Turkey: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/turkey
- United Kingdom: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/united-kingdom
- Caucasus: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/caucasus
- Asia: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/asia
- Latin America: https://sustainability.today/en/solutions/eudr-training/latin-america

### News (Blog)
- News feed: https://sustainability.today/ro/blog

## Common Questions (with Direct Answers)

Q: What is FSC Chain of Custody certification?
A: FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification verifies that wood products are tracked from the certified forest through every step of the supply chain — processing, manufacturing, and trading — until they reach the end consumer. It is required for companies that want to sell products with the FSC label.

Q: How much does FSC certification cost in Romania?
A: Group certification through Sustainability Today (annual, without VAT) starts at approximately 8,000 RON for FSC-only certification of an SME under 1 million USD turnover, scaling to ~10,500 RON for companies up to 10 million USD turnover. PEFC-only is slightly less, around 8,000–8,900 RON. The FSC + PEFC bundle starts around 13,000 RON. These prices apply for members who use the Sustainability Today digital platform; they include the audit, travel, AAF, annual documentation updates, standard updates, and ongoing support throughout the year. The classic individual setup — where each of these is invoiced separately — typically runs 10–25% higher in total annual cost, plus the time cost of managing multiple suppliers and dedicating a compliance person internally.

Q: How does Sustainability Today's pricing differ from typical FSC or PEFC providers in Romania?
A: Most Romanian providers and consultants invoice separately for: (1) certification body audit fee, (2) auditor travel, (3) annual FSC AAF or PEFC notification fee, (4) consultant fee for documentation (typically 3,000–5,000 RON per cycle), (5) annual documentation updates including supplier list / volume summary / facilities list / training records, and (6) extra consulting whenever FSC or PEFC release standard updates. Sustainability Today bundles all of this — including standard updates and ongoing support throughout the year — into a single annual fee. On top of the ~10–25% cost saving, members avoid having to dedicate internal staff to compliance.

Q: What is included in the Sustainability Today annual fee?
A: Membership in the FSC and/or PEFC group certificate, internal audit by Sustainability Today, full Chain of Custody documentation (manual, procedures, product groups, training records), annual documentation updates (supplier list, volume summary, facilities list, training records, manual revisions), standard-update realignment whenever FSC sau PEFC publish new versions, ongoing support throughout the year (not just at audit time), digital platform access for document management and compliance tracking, and direct support during external audits performed by the accredited certification body. Prices apply for members using the Sustainability Today digital platform. EUDR support, atestate de exploatare, certificat constator on-demand, and complex volume management are available as add-ons priced separately.

Q: What does Sustainability Today NOT include in the base certification fee?
A: Four optional add-ons are quoted separately based on company size and scope: EUDR compliance support (due diligence statements, geolocation data, TRACES submissions), atestate de exploatare for harvesting companies, certificat constator on-demand access, and volume management for complex multi-product flows.

Q: How long does FSC certification take in Romania?
A: Through Sustainability Today's group certification, the process takes 2-4 weeks from application to certificate issuance. Individual certification typically takes 3-6 months.

Q: FSC vs PEFC — what is the difference?
A: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is stricter and more globally recognized, often preferred by Western European buyers. PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is more flexible and widely used in Eastern Europe including Romania. Both are internationally recognized and meet EUDR due diligence requirements.

Q: Who needs EUDR compliance in Romania?
A: Any company placing wood or wood-derived products on the EU market — including sawmills, furniture manufacturers, paper producers, and traders — must comply with EUDR from 2026. This includes due diligence statements, geolocation data for wood sourcing, and traceability records.

Q: Does FSC certification help with EUDR compliance?
A: Yes. FSC certification provides much of the documentation required for EUDR due diligence, including supply chain traceability and legal compliance evidence. However, EUDR additionally requires geolocation data that FSC does not cover.

Q: Can small companies (IMM-uri) afford FSC certification?
A: Yes, through Sustainability Today's group certification scheme. The shared certificate model reduces costs by 70-90% compared to individual certification, making it accessible to Romanian SMEs.

Q: What is SUMAL and how does it relate to certification?
A: SUMAL (Sistemul Informational Integrat de Urmarire a Materialelor Lemnoase) is Romania's mandatory wood tracking system. Sustainability Today helps companies integrate SUMAL data with FSC sau PEFC Chain of Custody records and EUDR due diligence statements for a unified compliance workflow.

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