Chain of custody

“Chain of custody preserves a claim through movement; it does not create the characteristic being claimed. ”

Chain of custody begins where an origin claim must survive movement, storage, processing and mixing. A farm may produce material with a specified characteristic, but the claim can be lost or overstated as batches are aggregated, transformed and traded. Chain of custody provides the rules and records that connect inputs, outputs and information.

ISO 22095:2020 established harmonised terminology and a generic framework for chain-of-custody systems across materials and products. It defines models including identity preserved, segregated, controlled blending, mass balance and book and claim. A 2026 amendment and new parts for mass balance and book and claim expanded the framework.

The specified characteristic is central. It may relate to origin, recycled content, production method, certification status or another defined attribute. The chain-of-custody system does not prove that the characteristic was correctly established at source. It controls how the associated information is carried once accepted into the system.

This distinguishes chain of custody from traceability. Traceability follows movement and history. Chain of custody adds rules for preserving or allocating specified characteristics and claims through that movement. A traceable product can lack a credible chain-of-custody claim, and a mass-balance claim can operate without identifying which physical unit reached a particular buyer.

Material and information flows need to reconcile. Purchases, inventory, processing losses, conversion factors, sales and claims should form a coherent account. A system that records eligible inputs without controlling output claims can create more certified volume than entered. Double counting is an accounting failure with public-claim consequences.

Boundaries matter. A model may operate within one site, a group of sites, a geography or a defined period. Conversion can change quantity and form. Coffee cherry becomes parchment and green coffee; cocoa beans become liquor, butter and powder. Rules need to specify how characteristics are allocated across co-products and losses.

The choice of model determines what the recipient can claim. Identity preserved maintains connection to one source. Segregation maintains the specified characteristic while allowing multiple eligible sources to mix. Mass balance permits eligible and non-eligible material to mix under quantity-accounting rules. Book and claim separates the administrative attribute from physical flow.

These are not different quality grades; they support different statements.

Physical control is only one source of risk. Data entry, supplier identity, unit conversion, duplicate records, system access and certificate status can undermine the account. Digital platforms can strengthen reconciliation and also reproduce errors at scale. Governance, competence and exception handling matter more than the novelty of the technology.

Claims should name the model. Saying that a product 'contains certified material' may be accurate for segregation and misleading for book and claim. Mass balance requires language that does not imply the specific item is physically composed of the claimed input. Consumers and procurement teams cannot interpret the assurance if the model remains hidden.

ISO 22095 explicitly warns that the existence of a chain-of-custody system alone does not specify the characteristics or conditions under which materials were produced. This protects a crucial distinction: custody supports reliability of a claim; it is not evidence that the underlying standard is comprehensive or that production was responsible.

The discipline is to align model, records and wording. Organisations should be able to show what entered, how it was transformed, which rules applied, what left and what the customer is entitled to say. A chain of custody is credible when the information survives the supply chain without becoming more certain or more ambitious than it was at origin.

Practical application

Define the specified characteristic and intended downstream claim before selecting a model. Map sites, transformations, co-products, losses, outsourced activities, time periods and system boundaries. Reconcile inputs, inventory, conversions, outputs and claims, with controls against duplicate use.

Train commercial, operations and marketing teams on model-specific wording. Verify supplier and certificate status, investigate negative balances and preserve records. Review whether the chosen model gives users the physical connection or system contribution they believe they are buying.

Why it matters

Sustainability attributes can lose credibility as materials pass through complex supply chains. Chain-of-custody systems provide the infrastructure needed to transfer claims consistently, support certification and reduce overstatement. Their value depends on accurate accounting and transparent model choice.

Common misconception

Chain of custody is often assumed to prove responsible origin or to mean physical segregation. It can use several models, some of which permit mixing or decouple claims from physical flow. It controls claim transfer; it does not establish production performance by itself.

Connections

Traceability records where products moved. Certification establishes conformity to scheme requirements. Identity preserved, segregation, mass balance and book and claim are distinct chain-of-custody models that determine the physical and administrative meaning of downstream claims.

A question worth asking

Can your sales, sustainability and operations teams describe the same chain-of-custody model and make the same statement about what the customer physically receives?

Selected references

ISO 22095:2020. Chain of Custody - General Terminology and Models. ISO 22095:2020/Amd 1:2026. Chain of Custody - General Terminology and Models - Amendment 1. ISO 22095-2:2026. Chain of Custody - Part 2: Requirements and Guidelines for Mass Balance. ISO 22095-3:2026. Chain of Custody - Part 3: Requirements and Guidelines for Book and Claim. ISEAL Alliance. 2016. Effective Chain-of-custody and Traceability Models.