The Global State of Forest Certification

The Global State of Forest Certification

Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General, PEFC International

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Sustainable Forest ManagementHow we define SFM

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What is Forest Certification?

Market-based, voluntary tool to promote sustainable forest management

Components:– Standards (Sustainable Forest Management, Chain of Custody)– System of Verification (Certification, Accreditation)– Logos and Claims (Promotion)

Processes:– Local forest dialogue– Consensus driven – Multi-stakeholder – Inclusive

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Forest CertificationTwo global systems

Globally, two systems, PEFC and FSC, promote sustainable forest management through certification against requirements developed through their respective standard setting processes.

PEFC - Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is a global alliance of independent national forest certification systems and considered “bottom-up”.

FSC - is an international membership organization with a network of FSC National Offices, FSC National Representatives and FSC National Focal Points and considered “top-down”.

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Two Global SystemsDifferences & Similarities

History/Origin

Approaches

Requirements

Governance

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Certified Forest Area, by System

Europe North America

C & S America

Asia Oceania Africa 0

20,000,000

40,000,000

60,000,000

80,000,000

100,000,000

120,000,000

140,000,000

160,000,000

PEFCFSC

Hec

tare

s ce

rtifie

d

28% of the world’s industrial roundwood supply is certified

60% of the total area certified to PEFC

10% of the world’s forests are certified

10%28% 60%

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Certification GloballyProgress so far

Benefits of Forest CertificationDirect benefits

1. Codification of best practice in the forest sector

2. Implementation of sustainable forest management

3. Assurances of legality, sustainability and traceability

4. Market access & incentives/demand for certified products

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Global, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization

World's largest forest certification system with 60% of the certified forest area

Alliance of national certification systems which meet PEFC’s globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks

Required or recommended by public and private procurement policies globally

The PEFC label is only available on certified products, giving responsible companies unique access to a trusted label

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What is PEFC?Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

PEFC GloballyCurrent Expansion and Outlook






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Market DemandBusinesses request certification: CGF

Consumer Goods Forum

one of the largest global industry networks is pledging to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.

to achieve this goal and to help promote sustainable forest management, the CGF recommends companies purchase products that are certified by e.g. PEFC.

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Market DemandBusinesses request certification: WBCSD

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The WBCSD is a CEO-led organization made up of some of the world’s leading corporations.

“WBCSD members are committed to promote certification to forest owners, encouraging full utilization of existing forest certification systems, such as PEFC, throughout the forest products value chain.”

James Griffiths, Managing Director, WBCSD

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Market DemandSelected Procurement Policies and Guidelines

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PEFC is recognized by the Belgian, British, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, and Swiss Timber Procurement Policies; EC Guidelines on Green Public Procurement

EU Ecolabel, European Retail Environmental Sustainability Code

Green Building Councils (incl. Australia, Italy, Singapore), the Code for Sustainable Homes, BREEAM (Netherlands, UK) and SKA rating (UK)

A 2013 survey by the Association for Consumer Research (GfK) found that

80% of German citizens believe that companies making sustainability claims must be able to provide proof.

Association for Consumer Research 2013 (treee.es/1dvUahs)

A 2013 study by Cone Communications identified

on-package messages (on the package or label) as the most effective communication channel

Cone Communications Social Impact Study (treee.es/1gcLXMo)

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Sustainability ClaimsConsumers want evidence on-product

Environmental InformationConsumers trust labels

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Growing demand for environmental information on packaging:

54% of consumers trust environmental labels

37% of consumers regularly search for environmental logos on food packaging

Purchasing a environmentally-friendly packaged product is a key environmental action that consumers engage in

Environmental Research 2013: A Global Study of the Attitudes of Consumers and Influencers (treee.es/env-trends)

Sources of InformationLabels most trusted source

“Consumers […] look to certification seals or labels on product packaging (40%) as the most trusted source of information about whether a product is environmentally and socially responsible.”

2012 Regeneration Consumer Survey (treee.es/regen-study)

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Germany: Growing Recognition Selected Country Surveys

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India**

France***

China**

Australia*

15%

20%

29%

15%

Source:* Mobium Group (2012)** Firefly MilwardBrown (2013)*** ifop (2013)

2011

YesNo

2012

YesNo

2013

Yes

No

Source:GfK (2011-2013)

Consumer RecognitionDo you know the PEFC label?

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The PEFC Label






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Chain of Custody (CoC)Sustainability & Traceability

establishes the link from the forest to the market, by assuring that wood and wood-based products can be traced back to PEFC-certified forests and non-controversial sources

certificates are issued by independent certification bodies, after an on-site audit of a company against the international PEFC Chain of Custody standard

is precondition for use of the PEFC labels to promote products in the marketplace

available globally

allows for “PEFC Certified” claim

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CoC & Legality VerificationLegality & Regulatory Requirements (EUTR, Lacey Act)

PEFC Due Diligence System (DDS) certification (integral to PEFC CoC certification)

three elements: Information (tree species & country/region/FMU of origin) Risk Assessment Risk Mitigation

can be used to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements such as the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR); Lacey Act

allows for “PEFC Controlled Sources” claim

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Responsible Forest ManagementPEFC certification promotes sustainability

Healthy Forests Maintain and increase the health and vitality of forest ecosystems, biodiversity Protect ecologically important forest areas, wildlife, waterways, and soil Prohibit forest conversions; no certification of plantations established by conversions Avoid genetically modified trees, most hazardous chemicals Prevent unauthorized activities such as illegal logging

Healthy Communities Promote the long term health and well-being of forest communities Respect forests’ multiple functions, give due regard to the role of forestry in rural development Involve forest communities, forest-dependent people in forest management Recognize indigenous people’s rights, incl. free, prior and informed consent Protect sites with recognized specific historical, cultural or spiritual significance Safeguard areas fundamental to meeting the basic needs of local communities

Healthy Workers Comply with all fundamental ILO conventions; safe working conditions Consideration of new opportunities for employment

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Group CertificationMaking certification accessible and affordable

Alternative approach to individual certification

Allowing multiple forest owners to become certified as a Group

Share the financial costs of obtaining certification

A Group Entity represents the individual forest owners, with the overall responsibility for ensuring conformity of forest management in the certified area with the PEFC requirements

Also available for PEFC Chain of Custody certification

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Forest Management

Delivers sustainable wood raw material that is:

• legal: wood is harvested in compliance with local legislation and international agreements• from well managed forests: are safeguarding environmental, social & economic values• traceable: the raw material supply chain is verified from the forest to the finished product3

Chain of Custody

In SummaryWhat forest certification delivers






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PEFC’s Bottom-Up Approach

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National Standard

International Sustainability Benchmarks

Approval by members Revision

required

Application for assessment

General Assembly

PEFC’s Bottom-Up Approach

Forest certification standards are country specific• adaptation of local forest conditions – ecological, tenure• adaptation to the local legislation• integration of needs and expectations of local stakeholders• consideration of development priorities

National ownership of YOUR certification scheme Flexibility to meet PEFC requirements in a relevant way

Mutual recognition of your scheme regionally and internationally

Regular systematic revision of the standard and criteria at national level• reflect developments in forest practices, research• reflect values of society

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• Ongoing technical support & guidance to approx. 20 countries developing national certification schemes

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Scheme Development Support

PEFC Projects

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PEFC Initiatives

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Benefits of Forest CertificationHidden benefits

Institutionalized best practices Give value to forest resources Quantifies SFM (Sustainable Forest Management) Social benefits (incl. social justice, preservation of culture, social harmony) Socioeconomic benefits (incl. rural/community development, NWFP –

non-wood forest products) Can be used for integrated landscape planning Integration into other sustainability initiatives / commodity certification Ongoing multi-stakeholder dialogues Contributes to capacity building Inclusion of all interested stakeholders

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Forest Certification Dichotomy

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Demand-side requirements

Supply-side needs

Forest certification

Conclusion

Forest certification contributes many elements to improving forest sustainability

One of the most robust ‘eco-labels’ out there! Forest certification is not the panacea, but contributes to

tackling a wide variety of issues & challenges Dialogue will be an essential component to bridging supply

side realities with market requirements

Principled Pragmatism is the name of the game

THANK YOU!

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Documents

The Global State of Forest Certification