PEFC is inviting stakeholders globally to provide feedback on the revised PEFC Chain of Custody and PEFC Trademarks standards. These two international standards are entering the last stage of revision. Comments, feedback and suggestions will ensure the standards meet the needs and expectations of the industry. Source: Timberbiz
To provide more information about the proposed changes to both standards, PEFC will be running a series of webinars throughout the duration of the public consultations:
- 29 May, 14.00 – 15.30 CEST
- 3 June, 11.00 – 12.30 CEST
- 3 July, 11.00 – 12.30 CEST
You can sign up for a webinar at https://podio.com/webforms/22803857/1615477
The PEFC standard lays out the requirements for Chain of Custody certification for forest-based products – the conditions a company must meet to achieve PEFC certification
PEFC Chain of Custody establishes the link from the forest to the market, tracking forest-based products from sustainable sources to the final product.
Many of the proposed changes will make PEFC Chain of Custody certification more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly, while retaining the robustness of the system.
For example, an option to use remote internal auditing in multi-site certification would reduce travel-related costs and greenhouse gas emissions for on-site auditing.
One of the biggest opportunities is the expansion of the PEFC Due Diligence System (DDS) to cover ‘core sustainability issues’. This would raise the bar for the small amount of uncertified material that can be mixed with certified material, especially in countries with weak legislation and/or law enforcement.
This standard also covers the requirements for users of the PEFC trademarks (including both the PEFC logo and initials) to ensure their accurate, verifiable, relevant and non-misleading usage. The revised standard aims at strengthening the consistent use of the PEFC trademarks worldwide, while also making it easier for consumers to understand what the PEFC logo stands for.
To ensure consistency, the PEFC Label Generator will become mandatory for the creation of all PEFC labels. This enables certified organizations to produce PEFC labels quickly and easily, while being assured of the correct technical specifications.
Changes are also planned for the on-product label, such as new requirements for the recycled label and a new “PEFC pure” label.
While the new requirements make the use of the trademarks more robust, they also provide flexibility to PEFC trademarks users. The TM or R symbols would no longer be required alongside the PEFC logo or initials, and new label messages give non-certified companies, such as retailers, more options to communicate their commitment towards PEFC.
The public consultations come towards the end of the current PEFC Standards Revision process and PEFC has already revised and published several international standards, including Sustainable Forest Management and Group Certification.
Both consultations are open until 9 July 2019 and comments are through the online consultation tool https://consultations.pefc.org/consult.ti/PEFC_CoC_Consultation/consultationHome
