PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is the world's largest forest certification system, based on the criteria and indicators defined during the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Helsinki 1993, Lisbon 1998).
The PEFC standard certifies the
full timber supply chain:
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It certifies the production stage with the scheme GFS - Sustainably Managed Forest.
The organization looking to be certified, must implement a management system in accordance with criteria and indicators in the PEFC standard. Essentially, the Standard checks the management and use of forests and forestry land from the sustainable development point of view.
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It certifies the processing stage with the scheme CoC - Chain of Custody.
In order to be certified, a company must be able to guarantee the traceability of wood as a raw material used during production must assure that the timber comes from a certified forest.
PEFC certification enables companies
to use the PEFC logo on certified products, both for the GFS-Sustainable Forest Management and for the CoC - Chain of Custody.
This gives greater visibility and credibility to the certified products, possibly leading to bigger market opportunities.
GFS - Sustainably Managed Forest
A forest is managed in a sustainable manner when:
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The amount of cut timber is never greater than the amount that grows in the forest.
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After cutting, the trees are helped to renew naturally or replanted.
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Habitats of plants and wildlife are protected, as are natural features (climate, soil, water).
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The rights and welfare of workers, owners and local populations are respected.
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Local development is encouraged
CoC – Chain of Custody
Chain of Custody certification is a system for tracking certified material from the forest to the finished product, providing a guarantee that timber and paper comes only from legal logging.
CoC also fulfills obligations provided by the Regulation (EU) of the European Parliament and by the Council, No 995/2010 on October 20 2010, and published in the EU Official Journal on November 12, 2010, which establishes “…the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market”.