Responsibly sourced timber – what is the PEFC certification scheme?

Forests cover almost a third of the Earth’s land surface and play a key ecological, social and economic role. At the same time, pressure on forest resources – deforestation, illegal logging and overexploitation – is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification system, which has been addressing this challenge for over twenty-five years by providing a reliable tool for verifying the sustainable origin of timber and wood products.

What is PEFC and how does the system work?

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is a membership organisation based in Geneva with over 80 members worldwide, including national certification schemes, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, companies and trade associations. Over 290 million hectares of forest are managed in accordance with PEFC’s international sustainability standards – meaning that almost three-quarters of all certified forests worldwide hold PEFC certification.

The system operates on two levels. The first is forest management certification – aimed at forest owners and managers, confirming that the forest is managed in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management. In Poland, over 7.2 million hectares of forest are covered by certification – all 17 regional directorates of the State Forests hold a PEFC group certificate. The second level is Chain of Custody (CoC) certification – aimed at companies processing and trading in timber products, confirming that the raw material has passed through the supply chain in a controlled and traceable manner.

The two types of certification are inextricably linked: whilst sustainable forest management ensures that timber and timber products do indeed come from sustainably managed forests, it does not in itself establish a link between the forest and the market. It is the CoC certificate that acts as this link, tracing the raw material’s journey from the forest to the final product.

The certification cycle for the supply chain is five years, and certification is carried out by independent third parties that are not affiliated with the organisation applying for certification. In Poland, the PEFC system has been in operation since 2003, and 729 companies are currently covered by supply chain certificates under individual, group and producer group certification schemes.

Who is PEFC certification for?

PEFC certification is aimed at a wide range of organisations – far broader than just furniture and sawn timber manufacturers.

The PEFC standard is designed for organisations involved in forest management and all businesses operating in the timber and paper industries. Certification can apply to both the forests themselves and individual links in the timber supply chain – from harvesting to the final product.

In practice, the PEFC CoC certificate is required or important for a wide variety of companies:

• Sawmills and wood processing plants – the first link in the chain after the forest
• Manufacturers of furniture, flooring and joinery – processing wood into finished products
• Manufacturers of paper, cardboard and packaging – the paper industry is one of the largest recipients of PEFC certification
• Printing houses – intermediaries between paper manufacturers and the end customer
• Wholesalers and distributors of wood and paper products
• Brand owners and retailers – companies wishing to display the PEFC logo on their products and communicate the sustainable origin of raw materials to consumers

As the PEFC label is intended to guarantee that the highest standards have been met at every stage of the supply chain, only organisations whose operations are based on certified products and services may apply for PEFC certification. A company wishing to sell products bearing the PEFC logo must itself hold certification and source raw materials exclusively from certified suppliers.