About PEFC

PEFC Certification

What is certification?

Forest certification provides a mechanism to promote the responsible management of our forests and ensures that forest-based products reaching the marketplace have been sourced from responsibly managed forests.

Protecting Forests Globally and Locally

Forests are highly diverse; as is their management, local traditions, cultural and spiritual expectations, average property sizes and support structures. This diversity means one size does not fit all when it comes to forest certification.

This is why PEFC International does not set one international standard that all forest owners must follow in order to achieve certification. Instead, PEFC International works through national forest certification systems, enabling countries to tailor their forest management requirements to their specific forest ecosystems, the legal and administrative framework, the socio-cultural context and other relevant factors.

PEFC International requires national systems to be in conformance with international benchmarks for sustainability in order to be endorsed. For example, PEFC benchmark standards require that relevant stakeholders are involved in the development of a national system. This means they participate in determining what responsible forest management means within their country and how it can best be implemented locally. Having stakeholders from several different backgrounds also ensures that one interest cannot dominate the process, as parties need to agree on the final requirements of the national standard.

For more information on PEFC, visit the PEFC International website https://www.pefc.org/

Endorsement and Mutual Recognition

How does PEFC International know a national system meets our international requirements? Endorsement.

Endorsement is the PEFC International process to ensure that national forest certification systems meet our international requirements. It is so vital to our organization, it’s even in our name - the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

Once developed, national systems are assessed by independent third-party assessor and not by PEFC International. Systems that complete this process successfully become ‘PEFC-endorsed’.