To support certified entities and certification bodies during the effects of COVID-19 worldwide, we have produced guidance regarding auditing (chain of custody and sustainable forest management), and the transition to the 2020 standards.
As the COVID-19 situation continues to develop, we are working to keep our guidance up-to-date. All the latest versions of our guidance can be found on this website, while any important updates are announced on our Twitter account.
Guidance for Auditing
Due to the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, travel and medical restrictions are affecting auditing activities. In order to give some flexibility to certification bodies and certified companies affected by the disease, we have issued guidance.
The main methods to ease the consequences of travel restrictions are the implementation of remote audits, and where this is not sufficient, the extension of time periods affecting the certificate.
Chain of Custody Audits
This guidance enters into force and can be applied by certification bodies from the day of its publication (10 March 2020) and is applicable until PEFC Council revokes the guidance. This updated guidance – Version 5 – was released 25 May.
COVID-19 Auditing guidance for certification bodies and certified companies V5
COVID-19 Auditing guidance for certification bodies and certified companies V5 Tracked changes
The document provides general procedures for the application of this guidance, as well as specific rules for initial and re-certification audits, surveillance audits and verification of corrective actions. It is based on IAF documents and the recently revised PEFC requirements for certification bodies operating chain of custody audits: PEFC ST 2003:2020.
The latest version (Version 5) provides further specifications for certification bodies’ policies and processes to conduct audits remotely, including reporting to PEFC on request. There is also now a dedicated chapter for re-certification audits. See the tracked changes document for a detailed overview of all the changes.
Sustainable Forest Management Audits
This guidance enters into force and can be applied by certification bodies from the day of its publication (9 April 2020) and is applicable until PEFC Council revokes the guidance. This updated guidance, Version 2 was released 11 May 2020.
COVID-19 SFM auditing guidance for certification bodies and certified companies
The document provides general procedures for the application of this guidance, as well as specific rules for initial and re-certification audits, surveillance audits and internal monitoring programmes for group organisations.
It is based on IAF Informative Document on the Management of Extraordinary Events or Circumstances Affecting ABs, CABs and Certified Organizations (IAF ID 3: 2011 – Issue 1) and IAF Mandatory Document for the Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Auditing/Assessment Purposes (IAF MD 4:2018 – Issue 2).
Transition to the 2020 Standards
We have extended the transition period for our three revised international standards by six months. This extension applies to the 2020 versions of the Chain of Custody (ST 2002), PEFC Trademarks (ST 2001) and Certification Body Requirements – Chain of Custody (ST 2003) standards. The transition date is now 14 February 2022.
This extension gives certified entities and certification and accreditation bodies an additional six months to align their procedures with the requirements in the 2020 versions of these three vital standards. The aim of the extension is to give our stakeholders more flexibility in when they move to the 2020 standards, as we understand the current situation is very difficult for many companies around the world.