Join PEFC’s Global Dialogue on Engaging Consumers on Sustainability

21 July 2014 News

PEFC’s 5th annual Stakeholder Dialogue, “Addressing Deforestation: joining forces to stimulate demand for sustainable forest products”, seeks to strengthen our collective understanding on consumers’ perception, engagement, and commitment to sustainable forest products. Join us for this forward-looking event on 20 November 2014 in Paris, France!

Deforestation remains a major threat to the world’s forests. While the main drivers of deforestation are fairly well documented, successful implementation of solutions is proving more complex. Only by delivering the right variety of measures in combination – from policy level through to business, lending and consumer actions - will we be successful in delivering realistic land-use alternatives to halt deforestation.

The forest sector is more advanced in delivering viable sustainability solutions than other sectors linked to driving deforestation, especially with respect to the availability and uptake of sustainable forest management certification. And while there is continual need for advancement in uptake, especially in deforestation prone regions, enhanced efforts are urgently needed to strengthen consumer interest, commitment and trust in the sustainability credentials of forest products. The ratcheting up of demand-side pressures for sustainable forest products will also contribute to a strengthened business case against deforestation.

With a forward looking focus, the event will encourage exchange amongst an expected 200 attendees to identify new collaborative approaches and actions to stimulate demand for sustainable forest products and to strengthen the profile of the forest sector.

The event is the latest in a series of successful, sold out PEFC Stakeholder Dialogues on opportunities and challenges facing the forest sector and sustainable forest management today, with dialogues in previous years focusing on issues such as “Linking sustainable forest products supply chains in Asia” and “Strengthening the link: Sustainable biomass and forest certification”.

Since 2013, the PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue has been an official part of the PEFC Forest Certification Week, an annual gathering of PEFC members and a myriad of stakeholders to discuss some of the most pressing issues in the world of forestry.

With the success of last year’s first ever PEFC Forest Certification Week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this year we will be in Paris, France between the 17 and 20 November in collaboration with PEFC France. The PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue “Addressing Deforestation: joining forces to stimulate demand for sustainable forest products” is scheduled for Thursday, 20 November 2014.