Three organizations join as PEFC International Stakeholder members

27 November 2017 PEFC system news

“We are delighted to welcome ARAUCO, European Panel Federation (EPF) and European Pulp Industry Sector Association AISBL (EPIS) as International Stakeholder members,” said Ben Gunneberg, following the acceptance of the three new members during the PEFC General Assembly in Helsinki, Finland, 15 November 2017.

“As sustainable forestry is a lifeline for our members, we are very much looking forward to our membership with PEFC,” said Anna Maija Wessman, European Pulp Industry Sector Association, AISBL (EPIS), speaking at the General Assembly.

“We hope to engage in an active dialogue between EPIS and PEFC, and to have a good interaction in the coming years,” Ms. Wessman continued.

Clive Pinnington from the European Panel Federation also attended the General Assembly.

“As downstream users of certified forests, certification is extremely important to us. We have nominated it as one of our top ten priority areas,” Mr. Pinnington commented.

“We hope to support PEFC and are thoroughly delighted to be a new member.”

The new members

Celulosa Arauco Y Constitucion S.A. is a group of forestry and industrial companies located in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the US, Canada and Europe. Arauco is one of the largest forestry companies in Latin America, both in terms of the surface area and the output of its plantations. Its industrial activities include cellulose plants, sawmills and woodworking plants.  

The European Panel Federation (EPF) represents the manufacturers of particleboard, MDF, OSB, hardboard, softboard and plywood, with members in 25 countries. The EU wood panel industry has an annual turnover of around 22 billion Euros, creates over 100,000 jobs directly and counts more than 5,000 enterprises in Europe.

The European Pulp Industry Sector Association AISBL (EPIS) is an international non-profit organization consisting of companies producing chemical or mechanical market pulps. Its purpose is to collect, process and distribute statistics regarding chemical market pulps in compliance with applicable antitrust laws for the benefit of its members and third parties.

With these three new members, we now count 28 International Stakeholder members, as well as 49 National members.

Benefits and opportunities of PEFC membership

• Participate in the PEFC General Assembly with full voting rights
• Join PEFC working groups and committees on relevant topics including standards revision, marketing and regional promotions.
• Partner with PEFC and other members on projects around the world.
• Nominate representatives for consideration to the PEFC Board of Directors.
• Support PEFC’s promotion of sustainable forest management and responsible procurement.
• Engage in joint activities to increase the uptake of certification and market demand.
• Benefit from bespoke training for your staff from the PEFC International team.
• Exchange and discuss with other sustainability leaders at PEFC events.
• Stay informed and abreast of PEFC developments throughout the year.

Find out how to become a PEFC International Stakeholder member or contact us at development@pefc.org for more information.