GA Newsletter

8/13/2019 GA Newsletter

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A WORLD IN WHICH PEOPLE MANAGE FORESTS SUSTAINABLY To subscribe to the Newsletter, please visit: www.pefc.org

ACHIEVING ZERO NET

DEFORESTATION BY 2020

One of the largest global industry networks, theConsumer Goods Forum (CGF), has developed a setof guidelines in support of its resolution to help to

achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.

Using a three-pronged approach – sourcingguidelines, verification and transparency – their aimis to assist companies in developing their ownpolicies for sourcing pulp, paper and packaging.

As part of this approach, the guidelines highlightPEFC certification as a verification mechanism forcompanies to reduce the risk of their pulp, paper andpackaging originating from controversial sources.PEFC certified products are recommended asproviding companies with verification for legality,

sustainable forest management (SFM), and low riskof controversial sources contributing to deforestation.

The CGF brings together more than 400 retailers,manufacturers, service providers and otherstakeholders across 70 countries with combinedsales of EUR 2.5 trillion. This includes a wide rangeof well-known businesses such as Carrefour, CocaCola, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, Kimberly-Clark, Loreal, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Tesco andWalmart.

Impressively, 26 of the world’s leading companiesalong the forest products value chain responsible fornearly 40% of annual global forest, paper and

packaging sales, have committed to supporting forestcertification systems, such as PEFC, in order tosignificantly scale up SFM.

In their statement, Leadership Statement on the Valueand Future of Forest Certification, released by theWorld Business Council for Sustainable Development(WBCSD), Forest Solutions Group (FSG), thecompanies recognize that reducing forest loss anddegradation is a global, societal priority requiringimmediate and concerted action.

In order to ensure that the supply of independentlyverified, sustainable wood and other forest productscontinues to increase to meet growing demand, all 26FSG member companies committed to:

Work with stakeholders to spread SFM; Support and promote the expansion of forest

certification; Set 2020 targets to increase the use of certification

when sourcing forest products and fiber; Grow markets for certified forest products.

“The FSG aims to demonstrate leadership inaddressing the world’s need for increased sustainablemanagement of natural forests and plantations, as well

as wiser use and reuse of forest products,” said JoséLuciano Penido, Co-Chair, FSG and Chairman, Brazil-based Fibria.

Global industrynetwork recommendsPEFC certification

Global forest productscompanies commit tosupporting forestcertification




PEFC News - 11 November 2013 PEFC Week

CHINA

Stakeholders show strong interest inforest certification in China

The China Forest Certification Council (CFCC) hasestablished a platform to facilitate interaction withand between Chinese stakeholders interested inpromoting forest certification.

The CFCC Stakeholder Forum will meet severaltimes per year to provide information and updatesabout the development of the China ForestCertification Scheme.

The inaugural meeting of the Stakeholder Forum wasattended by 26 organizations including NGOs,companies, certification bodies, forest industry

associations, researchers and governmentrepresentatives.

CFCC joined PEFC International in 2011, andsubmitted the China Forest Certification Scheme forPEFC endorsement and mutual recognition in 2012.The endorsement process is expected to end shortly.

VIETNAMCooperatives meet to discuss the potential

for PEFC in Thua Thien Hue Province

“Trees can sustain livelihoods and provide familieswith a secure income, but being trapped in a circle ofpoverty means that people are forced to makedecisions based on short-term needs rather thanlonger term prosperity,” said Mr. Ngo Viet Quyt,Director of the Thua Thien Hue Cooperative Alliance(HCA), in relation to the short cutting cycle oftenemployed by forest owners throughout Vietnam.

While short cutting cycles may contribute tohousehold income, consideration to forest productoptimization and sustainability requirements canincrease the social, environmental and economicbenefits derived from forest resources.

Mr. Quyt’s comments concluded the workshop heldin Hue, Vietnam on 9 September 2013, whichintroduced PEFC certification to representatives fromHCA (an alliance of over 200 cooperatives scatteredthroughout the Thua Thien Hue province in Vietnam),the provincial Department of Forestry, cooperatives,private companies and NGOs.

“If we can share the vision with our members andshow them the way towards sustainable forestmanagement, we can help them find a way tocapture the real value of their trees,” Mr. Quytcontinued. “We must not forget our main objective:increase the living standard of our members byincreasing their long-term profit from forestry.”

The workshop was one activity within the ongoingtwinning support program between Finnish forestowners and cooperative alliances in Vietnam. Theprogram seeks to share experiences between smallforest owners from different parts of the world. Drawing

on the Finnish experiences, the program supports thestrengthening of forest owner organizations –cooperative alliances (provincial level) and individualcooperatives (local commune level). The project aimsto increase the capacity of cooperatives andsmallholders to implement sustainable forest practicesand build stronger business models around their forestresources.

“Despite the many differences between forests inFinland and Vietnam, as forest owners, we actually

have a lot in common,” commented Rauno Karpinen,forest expert and Finland’s representative to theproject. “We want to know where to get seedlings, howto best plant them, and when to harvest them to ensurethe best value for our resources. In Finland, PEFC isthe solution for affordable forest certification forsmallholders.”

Following from the introduction and discussions aroundPEFC certification amongst stakeholders in Thua ThienHue Province, project partners will continue workingtogether to design a certification approach to delivermore cost-effective solutions to what is currently

available in Vietnam.

“Forest certification should help people to gain morevalue and benefits from their forest resources – nottake it away,” stated Sarah Price, Head of Projects andDevelopment, PEFC, commenting on PEFCinvolvement in the project and PEFC pilot testing. “Bycooperating on this pilot project, we hope to injectsome new ideas into how certification can beaffordable and profitable for companies and familyforest owners alike, while safeguarding theenvironmental benefits that forests provide. Clearly,forest resources have the potential to lift people out ofpoverty in Vietnam and it is our imperative to make

certification an opportunity and not a market barrier.”





NEW ZEALANDThe drive towards forest certification

A growing number of countries are demandingverification that timber has been sourced legally and

international companies are playing a big role in thepush for sustainability.

One of these main drivers for certification is theConsumer Goods Forum, a body representing over400 companies collectively worth around $US3trillion, including the likes of Proctor and Gamble,Unilever and McDonald’s. Together these companiesmake up 4% of global GDP and they are advocatingfor legality as well as sustainability throughout theirsupply chains.

Responding to this increasing demand, StandardsNew Zealand has begun consulting on a draft

voluntary standard for SFM, based on the standardused in Australia. With forests making up 3% of NewZealand’s GDP and about 17,000 employeesdependent on this sector, forestry plays an importantrole within the country. Without certification, timbersuppliers are vulnerable to claims of illegally sourcedwood and New Zealand-made timber could beblocked from foreign markets in the future.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO Ministerial delegation visits PEFC “We’re committed to working with stakeholders to

establish a national forest certification system,meeting international sustainability benchmarkswhilst respecting the unique values of our people andforests,” said his Excellency, Minister Henri Djombo,Ministry of Forest Economy and SustainableDevelopment of the Republic of Congo during a visitto the PEFC International office in Geneva,Switzerland.

Together with Mr. Grégoire Nkeoua, Forest Advisor,and Mr. Ngoya Kessy, Managing Director ofvalorization forest resources, the delegation met withPEFC and L'Association Technique Internationaledes Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT) to agree collaboration.

The Republic of Congo has taken a strong interest inprotecting its forests and balancing the need toconserve this resource with the needs to alleviatepoverty, promote stability and economic growth. “Theresponsible use of our natural resources is key to thedevelopment of the Republic of Congo. Forest

certification offers an important mechanism to verifySFM practices, and we are looking forward to workingwith PEFC to achieve international recognition of ournational system,” emphasized Minister Djombo.

“Tropical forests, which house nearly half of thespecies known on earth, is where forest certificationcan have the biggest impact,” remarked BenGunneberg, Secretary General, PEFC, following themeeting. “We welcome the leadership of hisExcellency, Minister Djombo, which stands to advancecertification not only in the Republic of Congo butthroughout the entire Congo Basin.”

Ralph Ridder, General Director, ATIBT, welcomed theinitiative. “With one of the major challenges in Africabeing the robust implementation of certificationrequirements, there is certainly a need for the well-respected approach offered by PEFC. Responsiblecompanies in Congo and the Congo Basin areincreasingly aware of the unique benefits of PEFC, andwe welcome the Minister’s commitment to worktogether with the private sector and civil society, toestablish a PEFC option for the Congo.”

THE NETHERLANDS

PEFC – the preferred choice Approximately two-thirds of all certified timber on theDutch market originates from PEFC certified forests,making PEFC the most popular forest certificationscheme in the Netherlands.

According to a Probos study published earlier this year,the total volume of certified materiel on the Dutchmarket continues to grow substantially for bothsawnwood and wood based panels. The figure climbedfrom 13.8% in 2005 to 33.8% in 2008, reaching 65.7%in 2011. In total, over 2.5 million cubic meters of PEFCcertified wood was brought onto the Dutch market in

2011, thus doubling the volume from 2008 to 2011..This increase is due in part to the Dutch government’sBiodiversity Program, which set the target for timberwith a demonstrably sustainable origin to make up 50%of the Dutch timber market by 2011. This target hasnow been exceeded.

This success is the result of the combined efforts of theDutch government and the timber sector, with specialmention to the companies who chose to purchasesustainably produced products before there was anydemand from the market.





DE ALLIANTIESourcing sustainable wood and paper

De Alliantie, one of the largest housing cooperativesin the Netherlands, requires all its suppliers to

provide timber and paper solely from sustainablymanaged forests, becoming the first housingcooperative in the country to take this step.

"Signing the sustainable forest management policystatement is an important moment, but we see thisonly as a starting point,” said Alfred van den Bosch,Director, De Alliantie. “Next comes theimplementation. We have already identified to whatextent De Alliantie is using sustainable wood andpaper. Furthermore, and more importantly, we areembedding and increasing this sustainable ambitionwithin our organization and at our suppliers."

"De Alliantie regularly takes the lead and initiatescooperation in order to fulfill its mission: housingpeople well and affordably,” said Kees Boon,Chairman, PEFC Netherlands. “In order toconsolidate the sustainability ambitions within theorganization and to enable the company to proceedoptimally, De Alliantie requested the expertise ofPEFC and FSC. The involvement of all parties in theprocess, at both policy and implementation levels,gives the biggest chance of success and increasesthe incentives for owners to manage their forestssustainably.”

2013 NORDIC SKI WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPSForests win with PEFC at championships

From the 2012 London Summer Olympics, to the2013 Fiemme Nordic Ski World Championships, tothe 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics … the sports worldhas become increasingly conscious of its potentialcontribution to SFM by selecting wood-basedmaterials from PEFC-certified forests.

"We commend the organizers of the 2013 Nordic

World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme forcommitting to procuring certified, sustainably sourcedmaterial, including brochures, posters, stationary,tissue as well as toilet paper," said FrancescoDellagiacoma, Vice President, PEFC Italy. "TheNordic World Ski Championships are an excellentopportunity to inform the public about the benefits ofsustainable forestry and highlight the importance offorest certification. Millions of people will be able tosee – on TV and live at the events - the beauty of thePEFC-certified spruce forests of Val Di Fiemme, andthey will be able to contribute to safeguarding themby looking for the PEFC logo next time they buywood-based products."

A Memorandum of Understanding signed by PeterDegodenz, President, Fiemme 2013 OrganisingCommittee, and Pier Luigi Ferrari, Chairman, PEFCItaly, further specified the use of local materials andcompanies to minimize carbon emissions and insupport of the economy of the Trentino region.

LA SICILIALa Sicili a chooses PEFC-certified paper

La Sicilia, an Italian daily regional newspaper, hasstarted printing on PEFC-certified paper. Thanks to thisinitiative, every month almost seven hectares of forestwill be saved and a further 4.6 hectares of trees will bereplanted, reabsorbing 228 tonnes of CO2.

"Our choice and the commitment undertaken by LaSicilia demonstrates how an environmentally friendlycompany policy can promote a message ofsustainability and draw attention to the safeguarding of

forests, which we hope readers will seize upon andhelp to support," says Virginio Di Carlo, ProductionManager of the newspaper.

The Sicilian newspaper will be produced from 60%recycled paper and 40% virgin paper made from woodfibers originating from certified forests.

La Sicilia is following the example set by La Stampa,the third most-read newspaper in Italy, which has beenprinted on PEFC certified paper since 22 April 2012 –Earth Day. With 368,000 copies printed daily andreaching 2.3 million readers, the Turin-based paperdecided to take this “green” stance in order to raise

public awareness to the increasing number of treesfelled illegally in the world.





CENTER PARCSPEFC at the heart o f one of the UK’s mostsustainable holiday destinations

Center Parcs' new forest village, Woburn Forest, UK,

will include a Subtropical Swimming Paradise with aroof structure comprising of 46 glulam beams, withthe longest being 70m – a record length for a UKscheme – drawn from PEFC-certified Austrian larch.

In line with Center Parcs’ commitment to be one ofthe leading sustainable “Large Scale TourismDestinations” in the UK and protect the naturalenvironment, the beams are sustainably sourced andPEFC-certified.

BRAZILIAN COMPANIESLeading Brazilian companies preparing toincrease promotion of certification

Further increasing public awareness of the value andbenefits that responsible forestry and forestcertification provide is becoming a top priority forBrazilian companies – major players in theinternational timber trade market.

PEFC-certified companies such as Fibria,International Paper and Suzano, together withBracelpa, the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association,have expressed a clear need to increase

communication about certification and are exploringoptions for highlighting the importance of SFM.

“As labeling is one of the most straightforward andeffective mechanisms to do so, I am confident thatmany of the PEFC-certified products will in the futurecarry the PEFC label” said Ben Gunneberg,Secretary General, PEFC, during his trip to Brazil onOctober 2013.

With the unique circumstances and the challengesthat small forest owners face being at the heart ofPEFC’s activities, PEFC has helped manysmallholders in Brazil to obtain forest certification. In

addition, Fibria is exploring options to assist

thousands of family forest owners to obtain PEFCcertification.

With an increasing number of customers demandingcertified material, PEFC certification will help smallforest owners to derive economic benefits from their

sustainably managed forests. To better support theirefforts, PEFC is looking to integrate them into itsexisting group certification project.

HIGHEST WOODENOBSERVATION TOWERIN THE WORLD... is PEFC-certif ied

The opening of the Pyramidenkogel in Carinthia, Austria, sets another milestone for the promotion of

sustainable forestry. Imposing, this almost 100m highobservation tower spirals into the air, making it theworld’s highest wooden observation tower. Yet thePyramidenkogel does not only offer breathtaking views – the main structure is made entirely of woodoriginating from PEFC-certified, local forests.

“As [the Pyramidenkogel] is PEFC-certified, it goeswithout saying that this will set an example forresponsible forestry,” says Helmut Hödl, Head ofTimber Engineering, Rubner Holzbau GmbH, thePEFC-certified company responsible for the tower.“For a company such as Rubner, the preservation offorests for future generations, and therefore oursustainable raw materials, is an essential issue.”

Rubner chose PEFC-certified wood from the region toreduce transport-related carbon emissions and tosupport the local economy.





COLLABORATION FUND The 2013 PEFC Collaboration Fundsupports local initiatives and promotessustainability

Through the Collaboration Fund, PEFC is supportinga wide range of activities to advance SFM and forestcertification across seven countries on threecontinents. The awarded combined total is CHF105,000 and leverages a further CHF 104,000 fromco-funding.

“Each year the Collaboration Fund receives a highnumber of applications with extremely diverse projectideas, seeking to improve society’s ability tounderstand, manage and value forests for multiplebenefits,” said Sarah Price, Head of Projects &Development, PEFC. “This year’s winning projects

demonstrate great potential for creating positiveimpact on the ground while contributing to a globalcommunity of knowledge.”

This year’s winning projects are:

Protecting rare tree species in Malaysia:strengthening procedures for monitoring inJerangau High Conservation Value Forest areaand beyond

Project objectives: Reduce the population decline of rare species; Improve forest management practices and advance

SFM; Contribute towards the fine-tuning of national level

guidelines for managing High Conservation ValueForests.

Implementing organization: The Forest ResearchInstitute Malaysia

Enhancing rural development in Spain throughwild food production

Project objectives: Promote PEFC certification among the wild food

products sector; Increase the number of PEFC-certified, non-wood

products producers; Raise demand for PEFC-certified products within

the gourmet food sector; Improve PEFC awareness among the global

society.

Implementing organization: PEFC Spain.

Spruce syrup – the next big thing?

Project objectives: Support supply chain development to establish

production of spruce syrup from spruce tips (a wastematerial from tending and harvesting operations);

Promote the use of the PEFC logo on this innovativeproduct;

Increase the area of PEFC-certified forests inSlovakia.

Implementing organization: PEFC Slovakia

Promoting SFM among Latvian forest owners

Project objectives: Pilot test group certification within the forest owners’

cooperative “Mežsaimnieks”;

Raise awareness of group certification among forestowners; Increase area of PEFC-certified private forests.

Implementing organization: PEFC Latvia

Going online to modernize and expand groupforest management certification in the British Isles

Project objectives: Develop an English language online group

registration and management system for privateforest owners;

Encourage uptake of the system to increase the areaof PEFC-certified forest in the UK and Ireland;

Roll the template out across all PEFC membercountries where English is the main/commonlanguage.

Implementing organizations: PEFC UK and PEFCIreland.





EUTR ALIGNMENTCompanies globally benefit fromPEFC’s EUTR alignment

With the 2013 PEFC Chain of Custody standard,

companies have a straightforward, tried-and-testedmechanism at their disposal to demonstratealignment with the European Union TimberRegulation (EUTR) requirements.

"PEFC has become the first global forest certificationsystem to align its Chain of Custody standard withEUTR requirements, providing businesses along thetimber value chain with the option to comply with theregulation through a mechanism that has alreadybeen successfully implemented in more than 10,000companies globally" said Ben Gunneberg, SecretaryGeneral, PEFC.

PEFC Chain of Custody certification offers morebenefits than simply satisfying regulatory needs – itprovides companies with access to markets that areincreasingly demanding sustainably sourced, PEFC-certified products. The EUTR also affects companiesoutside the European Union (EU) as their productsmay be imported into the EU further down the supplychain.

The EUTR prohibits the placing of illegally harvestedtimber on the European market in an effort to tacklethe global problem of illegal logging. It sets outrequirements that companies within the EU mustmeet to minimize the risk of illegal timber beingtraded.

NEW GENERATION LABELGENERATOR PEFC benefits cert ified companies

PEFC’s new Label Generator makes it easier forbusinesses to create PEFC labels. The intuitive,online tool generates PEFC labels within minutes andprovides everything needed to put a PEFC label onproducts and promotional materials.

“Companies are increasingly using the PEFC label todistinguish their certified products,” said BenGunneberg, Secretary General, PEFC, “and the newLabel Generator will hopefully encourage furtheruptake.”

Use of the PEFC logo and labels enable certifiedcompanies and forest owners to:

Demonstrate their commitment to sustainabledevelopment and corporate social responsibility;

Attract environmentally- and socially-mindedcustomers and consumers;

Help to generate awareness and demand for

products from PEFC-certified forests; Highlight their engagement with SFM.

“We use the PEFC label on our products andmarketing collateral to communicate our commitmentto SFM to our customers,” said Christopher Davidson,Director of Sustainable Forestry, MeadWestvaco.“The PEFC Label Generator is an excellent way tosimplify this process”.

Companies that already have obtained a valid PEFCLogo Usage License will receive further informationabout the PEFC Label Generator through their nationalPEFC member organizations

QUANTIFYING THE IMPACTOF CERTIFICATIONLife Cycle Assessment can quantify theimpact of forest certification, study shows

Companies can measure and minimize theenvironmental footprint of the wood-based productsthey source, according to a recent study by Quantis.The study confirmed that it is possible to quantify, to acertain extent, the impact differential between certifiedand non-certified forest products within Life Cycle Assessments (LCA).

"This development is extremely beneficial to everybodywishing to quantify the impact of their responsibletimber sourcing practices and integrate it within productlife cycle assessments," commented Sarah Price,Head of Projects & Development, PEFC.

Corporations and consumers alike want to betteraddress the sustainability of the products theymanufacture and consume. However, productsustainability is multifaceted and requires diversemanagement approaches. One of these approaches islife cycle assessment, a technique for assessingenvironmental impacts associated with all the stages ofa product's life from cradle-to-grave.

“Responsible companies source certified forestproducts because they know it is the right thing to do,but until now, they have been unable to quantify thereal impact of that decision on climate change, humanhealth and/or ecosystem quality,” Ms Price continued.

“PEFC saw this as an opportunity and partnered withQuantis to develop new LCA datasets and fill this gap.”

Quantis identified deforestation as the basis fordifferentiating the environmental impacts of certifiedand non-certified forest products. By definition, certifiedwood comes from forests under SFM, where a holisticmanagement approach is used to maintain the forestnow and in the future. Non-certified wood, on the otherhand, does not have the sustainability assurance andtherefore may be linked to deforestation. The resultingprocess and datasets from the project thus integrate ashared impact or responsibility of deforestation across

all non-certified forest products.





For more information about PEFC, visi t www.pefc.org

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