Finnish Minister highlights value of PEFC

16 November 2017 News

"It is a great honour to have the PEFC General Assembly here in Finland," said Jari Leppä, Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, welcoming more than 150 participants, including PEFC members, potential members and invited guests, from around the world, to Helsinki.

"Securing and demonstrating sustainable forestry is a matter for all of us. PEFC certification has performed extremely well both in Finland and elsewhere."

Finnish forest owners were instrumental in establishing PEFC as a forest certification system well suited to local needs, adaptable to the differing conditions of forests and forest management in the different regions and countries around the world.

"During the past twenty years, PEFC has grown from a European to a global system. This is a splendid achievement to be proud of," said Mr. Leppä. "In a globalising world, it is ever more important that forests are managed responsibly and sustainably, with respect to both natural values and people."

"PEFC has always been well received, and it has been especially well suited to the Finnish model of family forestry," Mr. Leppä highlighted. "Today about 85% of Finland's forests that are in commercial use are certified in accordance with the PEFC system."

“In the future, certification and the verification of the sustainability of forestry will be even more important. Consumer awareness on environmental issues is increasing, and the volume of information is growing.”

“Global challenges, such as tackling climate change, have a growing impact on forestry policy. We strongly believe that the bioeconomy and sustainable use of renewable raw materials are among the means to solve the global challenges.”

“Let us continue on the same track!”

PEFC Week

As the 22nd PEFC General Assembly comes to a close, we still have two more days to look forward too. For the end of the week we dive into the topic of Making Certification SMART at the PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue.

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