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Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

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Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
Founded1999
FocusSustainable forestry
Location
Area served
Global
MethodCertification
Key people
Ben Gunneberg
Websitehttp://www.pefc.org/

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. This offers customers and consumers the option to choose products from environmentally and socially responsible and economically viable forestry.

Its 35 worldwide independent national forest certification systems[1] represent more than 210 million ha of certified forests, making it the largest forest certification system in the world, covering about two-thirds of the globally certified forest area[2]. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sustainable Forest Management Criteria

PEFC International is the only international forest certification scheme that bases its criteria on internationally accepted intergovernmental conventions and guidelines, thereby linking its sustainability benchmark criteria with existing governmental processes. This includes:[3]

  • Pan-European Criteria, Indicators and Operational Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management (Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe)[4]
  • ATO/ITTO Principles, criteria and indicators for the sustainable forest management of African natural tropical forests (ATO/ITTO)[5]
  • ITTO guidelines on sustainable forest management (ITTO)[6]


PEFC requires adherence to all eight core ILO conventions, even in countries which have not ratified them.[7] These conventions are


Furthermore, other international conventions relevant in forest management and ratified by the country will be respected through the legislative framework. Such conventions include, amongst others:

National certification systems

PEFC International is represented at the national level through local certification systems. These can become members of PEFC and - if they meet the globally accepted sustainability benchmark criteria set out by PEFC International - get endorsed by the international office and are allowed to utilize the PEFC logo. While some PEFC members have taken on the name for their national organisations, well-known national certification organisations that have kept their own name include the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS), and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC).


Alternative forest certification system

Forest Stewardship Council is the main alternative forest certification system. Mutual recognition of FSC and PEFC certified material in the chain of custody has not yet happened. However, FSC and PEFC use the same forest management standard in countries such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway; Malaysia has submitted its timber certification scheme for endorsement by PEFC that is largely based on FSC principles and criteria as the template.[8]

References

  1. ^ PEFC Members Schemes
  2. ^ Developing Forest Certification (ITTO)
  3. ^ PEFC Technical Document
  4. ^ Pan-European Criteria, Indicators and Operational Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management
  5. ^ ATO/ITTO Principles, criteria and indicators for the sustainable forest management of African natural tropical forests (ATO/ITTO)
  6. ^ ITTO guidelines on sustainable forest management
  7. ^ PEFC Technical Document
  8. ^ Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification - MC&I(2002)

External links

Official PEFC sites

Critics

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