Jan. 30 -- xpedx today announced that it has received both Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council(R) (FSC) chain-of-custody certifications. It is the first North American paper distributor to be certified in both standards. The new xpedx certifications bring U.S. commercial and in-plant printers an important business advantage: printers can now fulfill growing customer demand for third-party certified printing papers. The two certification bodies in the United States are SFI and FSC. xpedx offers all SFI-certified papers as well as FSC-certified coated papers and writing, text and cover papers. The xpedx SFI and FSC chain-of-custody certifications allow printers to prove key environmental stewardship and paper-handling compliance to customers who want or need this. xpedx does business with the vast majority of printers in the U.S. and its chain-of-custody certifications apply to all of its U.S. distribution centers, retail stores, as well as sales via xpedx.com. "With our new dual, national chain-of-custody certification, U.S. printers can now be assured they have a dependable supply of certified papers to meet growing demand," said Jeff Higgins, corporate Director of Marketing Services for xpedx. Fiber and chain-of-custody certification is a high-priority issue today in commercial printing, paper distribution, paper manufacturing and commercial forestry. The issue is driven by print customers seeking to align their social and environmental philosophy with their purchasing practices. Chain of custody is the process of tracking and recording the possession and transfer of certified wood and fiber from the forest of origin, through the stages of production, to the end user. If any entity along this path is not third-party certified, the paper specifier, printer or print customer cannot claim the papers are certified and they cannot use the SFI or FSC logo. xpedx, North America's largest distributor of printing papers, is a critical link that moves certified paper grades through the supply chain to printers. xpedx has long been one of the largest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printing papers in North America and now offers the greatest variety of SFI- and FSC-certified papers in the U.S. xpedx said it will continue to add new grades as they come to market. xpedx received chain-of-custody certification this month from Bureau Veritas Certification, Jamestown, NY, which has served more than 70,000 companies in 60 nations. Recognized by 30 accreditation bodies across the globe, it provides a full range of quality, environmental, health and safety, social and security related auditing, verification and training for companies. xpedx, working with Bureau Veritas Certification, said it will also facilitate certification for printers who would like to become certified. Scores of printers across the U.S. have received chain-of-custody certification and many more have expressed interest in obtaining it. xpedx said it will be releasing details on the program soon.