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PEFC UK Newsletter January 2010
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Jan 22, 2010
New PEFC UK National Secretary Appointed
Alun Watkins will take over from William Walker as the PEFC UK National Secreary in the early part of 2010
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Nov 26, 2009
PEFC Newsletter October 2009
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Oct 26, 2009
PEFC UK Newsletter for July 2009
To read the July 2009 issue please see the attached download
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Jul 16, 2009
Report of the 2009 PEFC UK Annual Meeting
Earlier this week, PEFC held its Annual General Meeting in London with a cross section of PEFC’s diverse membership attending to hear Chairman Peter Latham present the organisation’s Annual Report.
As the tenth anniversary of PEFC’s establishment approaches, he reflected how far the organisation has come and how much it has achieved. Since its inception in 1999 as the Pan European Forest certification scheme, membership has grown from the original eleven founding European countries to become a truly global scheme encompassing thirty four countries on six continents; with the Netherlands and Ireland joining the PEFC family in 2008, followed most recently by Malaysia and Gabon.
As a result, PEFC now endorses twenty eight national certification schemes across the globe. The 220 million certified hectares managed by these member schemes are now delivering millions of tonnes of certified material into the global marketplace to meet the ever increasing demand for certified wood products. At present, the global tally of chain of custody certificates is fast approaching 5,000 and over 30,000 logo licences have so far been issued.
The UK has played a huge part in this success story. In February this year PEFC UK reached the milestone 1,000 chain of custody mark – 20% of the global total. There has been a corresponding growth in demand for the use of the PEFC logo with over 800 licences now being issued to UK companies, with demand for chain of custody remaining buoyant despite the challenging economic climate.
The UK has played a huge part in this success story. In February this year PEFC UK reached the milestone 1,000 chain of custody mark – 20% of the global total. There has been a corresponding growth in demand for the use of the PEFC logo with over 700 licences now being issued to UK companies. Despite the challenging economic climate, demand for chain of custody remains buoyant, particularly from the print and paper sector. 450 print companies now have PEFC chain of custody certification and account for one third of all chain of custody certificates in the UK. Together, the print, paper and publishing sectors account for more over half of PEFC chain of custody certificates in the UK and almost two thirds of the UK’s top twenty print management companies now have PEFC chain of custody certification.
To mark another successful year for PEFC in the UK, the Annual General Meeting was followed by a reception aboard the S. B. Lady Daphne, one of the most famous of London’s classic wooden vessels still sailing which proved to be a popular choice of venue for timber enthusiasts.
Jun 25, 2009
PEFC UK Newsletter April 2009
In February PEFC announced that the growth of its programme in the UK has reached a landmark milestone,
with the award of its 1,000th Chain of Custody certificate
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Apr 6, 2009
PEFC UK & Ecobuild 09
Exhibiting at this important trade show demonstrates PEFC UK's "commitment to high environmental standards and responsible sourcing, and that the construction sector is increasingly looking to show its customers that the timber products it uses originate from legal and sustainable sources. Sourcing from PEFC-certified forests provides the timber supply chain with such assurances," said Peter Latham, PEFC UK's Chairman.
In response to continuing strong demand for PEFC-certified timber products from the UK construction sector, PEFC exhibited at Ecobuild between the 3rd and 5th March. Exhibiting at the UK's premier sustainable construction show was a first for PEFC.
Mar 25, 2009
PEFC UK Newsletter February 2009
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Feb 2, 2009
Leading public procurement policy confirms PEFC's sustainability status
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed in an assessment released today that PEFC's sustainable forest management standards and procedures continue to meet UK government requirements for sustainable timber.
The assessment found that all forest certification schemes commonly encountered in tenders and sales to the UK central government - PEFC International as well as MTCC and FSC - meet the criteria for legality and sustainability set out by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET). Certification to any one of these schemes is important for companies supplying timber for public sector projects as from April 2009, the UK government will require its departments to procure legal and sustainable timber or FLEGT -licensed timber only.
"The results confirm the robustness and integrity of credible forests certification schemes", commented Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC). "Furthermore, the revised procurement policy sends a strong message to companies and consumers to buy responsibly and to support sustainable forest management by choosing PEFC-certified products."
With nearly one third of the world's land mass covered by forests, sustainable forest management is crucial to address so many of society's challenges. "Given the vast potential of forests in tackling climate change, the new UK procurement policy is an important step in the right direction", said Mr. Gunneberg. "With only 9 percent of the world's forests currently certified, measures that promote sustainable procurement are of utmost importance."
Since PEFC's initial rating as legal and sustainable by the UK Government in August 2005, the PEFC certified forest area has increased by more than 60 percent globally and currently tops the 210 million hectares mark, making it the largest forest certification scheme in the world. The number of Chain of Custody certificates in the UK has risen sharply over the past two years and to date, more than 900 companies in the UK have chosen PEFC certification for their businesses.
"We are delighted once again the government has judged PEFC to meet its sustainability criteria. This provides UK companies with a strong incentive to commit to responsible sourcing of wood products by undergoing PEFC Chain of Custody certification ", added Peter Latham PEFC UK's Chairman.
The announcement by DEFRA follows a detailed, bi-annual review of forest certification schemes by CPET. The UK also announced its intention that for future reviews, PEFC endorsed schemes such as SFI and CSA will no longer be assessed separately.
The assessment is available on the CPET website at www.proforest.net/cpet/activities-and-news
Jan 6, 2009
PEFC UK Newsletter October 2009
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Oct 26, 2009
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