Asia Promotions Initiative

1 January 2007 Campaign

The Asia Promotions Initiative works to raise awareness, build capacity and encourage the uptake of PEFC certification throughout Asia. We deliver these ambitious objectives through the Initiative’s office in Beijing, China; PEFC International staff based in Southeast Asia; nine PEFC national members in Asia; and a number of International stakeholder members. 

Increasing the recognition of PEFC and the growth of Chain of Custody certification throughout Asia is one of the objectives of the initiative. Since it began in 2007, ambitious promotional programs have been implemented annually, combining company visits, seminars, training sessions and exhibitions, together with ongoing public relations activities. There are now over 1300 PEFC Chain of Custody certificates in the region.

Another objective of the Initiative is to enable PEFC sustainable forest management certification in the region. This requires the development of national forest certification systems in accordance with PEFC requirements, and then achievement of PEFC endorsement after the completion of a rigorous assessment process.

Since the initiative began in 2007, we have expanded the number of countries in Asia with PEFC endorsed forest certification systems. China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea and Thailand all have PEFC recognized systems.

There are now more than 17 million hectares of forest in Asia with PEFC-recognized certification. This provides important volumes of certified wood into the region’s forestry sector and provides forest managers and owners with a viable option for recognition and accessing markets.

Asia Promotions China Office

Market outreach is an important aspect of our work in China, with a strong focus on promoting forest management and PEFC Chain of Custody certification throughout the country.

A key aspect of this work is supporting target industries to implement PEFC Chain of Custody, and equipping their sector with the ability to supply PEFC certified materials to both domestic and international markets. 

Campaigns have also worked to increase the visibility of the PEFC label within the Chinese market, with both the PEFC China office and the China Forest Certification Council (CFCC) meeting with the big CFCC/PEFC certified companies in China to encourage them to use the PEFC label on their products.

The China office participates in numerous tradeshows and conferences, such as the Sylva Wood Exhibition. They also host training sessions and seminars, including training for certification bodies and for representatives from various companies.

Along with market outreach, the PEFC China office continues to support CFCC, carrying out administrative responsibilities such as the issuance of logo licenses and the registration of certificates, as well as organizing training sessions for auditors.

If you need any information or support in China for equipping your suppliers with PEFC Chain of Custody or accessing PEFC certified materials, please get in touch. 

PEFC International Regional Support

While the Initiative’s original focus was China and Japan, interest and demand for PEFC has grown rapidly throughout Southeast Asia. In response, we expanded the scope of our Asia Promotions Initiative, to deliver the support needed to increase certification in the region.

Chain of Custody training in Thailand

We conduct outreach activities on a regular basis in several countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.

High profile events, such as Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, are complemented with a range of training events, seminars and workshops that we deliver in cooperation with our partners in the region.

PEFC Support Desk in Vietnam

In Vietnam, we run a Support Desk in Ho Chi Minh City. This office is a resource center for the wood product industries in Vietnam.

Companies are welcome to visit us to discuss any issue related to forest certification and to access technical support on PEFC Chain of Custody certification and related matters. We are also available to support your responsible sourcing by linking you with companies producing PEFC certified products in Vietnam.

Contact us at info.vietnam@pefc.org or call +84 923 239 307

Our address:
01 Pham Van Hai, P1
Tan Binh district
Ho Chi Minh city
Vietnam

Companies and interested individuals can also contact the Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) for more information.

Asia-Pacific Coordination Hub (APAC Hub)

With PEFC’s strong emergence in Asia over the past ten years and our continued growth, the Hub is a coordination mechanism for PEFC’s membership in Asia.APAC Hub at the 2019 APFW, Korea

Sharing data and experience, and cooperating on activities and events, the Hub will accelerate PEFC’s next generation of marketing uptake and growth in the years to come.