There’s still time to give your opinion on PEFC Chain of Custody and PEFC Trademarks

2 July 2019 PEFC system news

With the deadline of 9 July approaching, don’t miss your opportunity to give your feedback on the revised PEFC Chain of Custody and PEFC Trademarks standards.

These two vital international standards are entering the last stage of their revision, and now we need to hear from you. Give your comments, feedback and suggestions, to help us ensure these standards meet your needs and expectations.

Give your feedback – deadline 9 July 2019.

Want to know more?

To provide you with more information about the proposed changes to both standards, we held a series of webinars during the public consultations. You can listen to the recording of the first webinar and see the answers to the questions asked during the first two webinars:

To find out more about our ongoing standards revision process, including which standards are currently under revision and which ones have already been approved, visit our PEFC Standards Revision website.

Chain of Custody

This 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 further 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.

PEFC Trademarks

This standard 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 our 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 our 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. 

Public consultations

These public consultations come towards the end of our current PEFC Standards Revision process. We have already revised and published several international standards, including Sustainable Forest Management and Group Certification. 

Public consultations are a vital part of the development process of our international standards. They are when you get to read the draft, make your comments and give direct feedback. Every comment made will get an answer.