PEFC Asia Promotions

What's New?

Sep 3, 2010 new
Belarus Achieves PEFC Recognition

Following a comprehensive, in-depth assessment, PEFC International has endorsed the PEFC Scheme of the Republic of Belarus, providing responsible forest enterprises and managers in the Eastern European country with access to global markets for certified timber and timber products.

“With forests covering almost one-third of the total land area of Belarus, their responsible use is essential for the sustainable development of our Republic”, says Aleh Atroshchanka, Chairman of PEFC-Belarus. “While Belarus has been promoting sustainable forest management since gaining independence in 1991, it faced a number of challenges such as forest fires, pest, etc. In addition, some 1.6 million hectares of forest soil remain contamination by nuclear fallout. PEFC certification is therefore an important tool for us to promote sustainable forest management and to raise awareness for the need to balance the environmental, social and economic provisions that forests offer.

The decision to establish a forest certification system in Belarus was already adopted in 1999 and national regulations on forest certification were approved in 2000. The regulations set the basic objectives, tasks, and requirements for forest certification and describe the organizational structure and functions of certification bodies. The Belarusian Association of Forest Certification System (RAFC),, which currently counts about 90 institutions and organizations as members, was established in 2005 and became PEFC member in the same year.

The PEFC Scheme of the Republic of Belarus was submitted to the PEFC Council for the conformity assessment in December 2007. In October 2008 the assessment was interrupted for the further Scheme amendments. The assessment restarted in December 2009 based on the revised Scheme documentation submitted to PEFC in April 2009 and amended in July 2009.

Note: The endorsement is only valid for the Bealrus forest management standard, not for the Belarus Chain of Custody standard. Only Chain of Custody certificates issued against the international PEFC Chain of Custody standard are PEFC recognized Chain of Custody certificates in Belarus

Aug 24, 2010 new
Sustainable Forest Management Key to Maintaining Forest Carbon Stocks

Carbon stocks are stable or increasing in sustainably managed and certified production forests, a recent FAO report suggets;

"The effectiveness of sustainable forest management practices in maintaining carbon stocks in production forests is clear from experiences in North America and the EU. These regions contain most of the world's certified forests and have generally stable or increasing forest carbon stocks, even though they also account for more than 55 percent of global industrial roundwood production," the report states.
While only about 8% of the world's forests are certified as sustainably managed, 90% of certified forests are located in North America and Europe, where forest carbon stocks continue to grow.
Although certification systems are not always explicit about the connections between sustainable forest management and carbon, they share the major objective of achieving a long-term balance between harvesting and regrowth, the study finds
"The operational guidelines of PEFC, the world's largest certification programme, stipulate that 'forest management practices should safeguard the quantity and quality of the forest resources in the medium and long term by balancing harvesting and growth rates'. A key principle of the FSC Standard, the second largest certification programme, is that 'the rate of harvest of forest products shall not exceed levels which can be permanently sustained'
"The practical effect of maintaining a balance between harvesting and regrowth is to achieve stable long-term carbon stocks in managed forests," the report emphasizes. It suggests that key practices by actors among the forest value chain that help maintain the forest ecosystem carbon include sustainable forest management and chain of custody certification.
Commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), the report Impact of the Global Forest Industry on Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases strongly supports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assertion that sustainable management of production forests is an important option for climate change mitigation over the long term.

Aug 9, 2010 new
Experts from Asia-Pacific Highlight Regional Forestry Issues in PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue

With forests in the Asia-Pacific region being among the world’s most complex – and threatened – ecosystems, PEFC International in collaboration with the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) invited stakeholders to a two-day seminar to update on sustainable forest management and forest certification initiatives in the region and to discuss PEFC’s draft revised forest management standard from a local perspective

Forest certification is a voluntary, market driven approach to promote sustainable forest management. While it is undeniably one of the most effective tools in safeguarding the world's most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems, only eight percent of the world's forests are currently certified.

The Asia Pacific region is home to 14% of the world's forest, including some of the last remaining primary rain forests. Yet, approximately 60% of the world's population live in the Asia Pacific region. Population pressure, coupled with growing economies on the one hand and extreme poverty on the other, creates many challenges and opportunities – environmentally, socially, and economically – for the forests, which in themselves play an important role in many of the countries.
How forest certification in Asia-Pacific, the first day of the Stakeholder Dialogue was dedicated to providing an overview over existing forest certification in the region. The second day of the event discussed the relevance and appropriateness of PEFC’s draft revised international criteria at a regional and national level

“For forest management to be sustainable, it must reflect the national context and the specific ecological and environmental conditions, as well as social, economic, political, cultural and spiritual dimensions,” explained PEFC Secretary General Ben Gunneberg. “This is why PEFC requires standards to be developed at local level, in compliance with PEFC’s internationally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks.

“Ongoing engagement between and among national and international stakeholders is a cornerstone of PEFC’s approach to forest certification, and the Malaysian Stakeholder Dialogue is the latest successful example of this approach.”
The Dialogue, which was attended by more than 150 national, regional and international forestry experts, concluded with a field trip showcasing sustainable forest management practices in Malaysia.

The next PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue will take place on 10th November 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with further information becoming available shortly.

Aug 5, 2010
Insufficient Demand for Certified Timber in the Netherlands

The unwillingness of consumers to pay price premiums for certified timber and timber products poses challenges for sustainable forest management, the Royal Dutch Association of Timber Trade Association (NTTA) has warned
In a recent statement, the NTTA reported that their members’ imports coming from forest certified as sustainably managed by either PEFC or FSC rose from 45% in 2006 to 62% of total imports in 2009. Growth in demand for certified material, however, fell short of the available supply. With supply exceeding demand, traders had to mix certified material with uncertified material and sell it as uncertified.
NTTA warned that this undesirable development poses a threat to sustainable forestry as demand for certified products is a key driver for forest certification and sustainable forest management.
NTTA is now jointly with the Dutch Association of Timber Manufacturers (NBvT) developing a joint strategic plan “Smart with timber”, accompanied by an action plan “Conscious with timber” to enhance the profile of certified wood. The objective of this joint initiative is to stimulate demand for certified timber and to make the use of PEFC and FSC standard practice in the Netherlands. Both PEFC and FSC are accepted for Dutch public procurement, following extensive assessments by the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC).
Nationally, growth in imports of certified timber (excluding paper) rose from 13% in 2005 to 34% in 2008.
“The volume of certified timber available in the Netherlands demonstrates that Dutch traders take their responsibility for th sustainable management of the world’s forests seriously”, said Kees Boon from PEFC Netherlands.
“We now need all forest stakeholders in business, government and civil society to work together to raise the awareness of the importance of this topic among consumers. The joint initiative by NTTA and NBvT is a good example for this, and PEFC Netherlands is committed to work with all parties to positively change consumer behavior nationally as an important means to provide incentives for sustainable forest management globally."

July 27, 2010
Uruguayan Forest Certification Scheme Submits Application for Mutual Recognition

Uruguay's forest certification system, SPFU, has submitted an application for PEFC Council endorsement. As part of the independent assessment, stakeholders globally are invited to submit feedbacks and comments on the Uruguayan Forest Certification Scheme before 26 September 2010.
"With forestry being the most important and fastest growing sector in Uruguay, the sustainable management of the forest resources is of fundamental importance to ensure the provision of long term environmental, social and economic benefits," said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International Secretary General. "The current assessment analyses the compliance of certification requirements of the Uruguayan Forest Certification Scheme with PEFC's internationally accepted Sustainablility Benchmarks."

June 1, 2010
PEFC-certified Printing Companies List Available!

Recently, the volume has increased sharply of PEFC-certified paper products that are available in the market. Accordingly, we are receiving voices from PEFC-certified paper manufacturers and trading companies that their clients want to use PEFC-certified paper for thier printed matters, but can not claim as PEFC-certified and carry PEFC logo on them due to a lack of CoC certficate that should be acquired by the relative printing company.
On the other hand, we are also hearing voices from PEFC-certified printing companies that there are not enough PEFC-certified paper available for thier printing job.
As a solution to this situation, PEFC Asia Promotions is ready to provide a list of PEFC-certified printing companies for those who want to know who are holders of PEFC CoC certificates among numerous printing companies in Japan.
Please contact to PEFCAP for more information. (info@pefcasia.org)

April 9, 2010 new
Forest Certification Seminar in Malaysia 2010

PEFC Council and the Malaysian forest certification scheme, MTCC, are organising PEFC Seminar in Malaysia on 16-18 June 2010. The main themes of this seminar are;

PEFC encourages active participation from the stakeholders of Asia Pacific countries such as Japan. This is an excellent opportunity for discussing promotion of sustainable forest management in Asia Pacific.
For more details, please contact PEFC Asia Promotions.

March 29, 2010
Royal Mail Recognition for PEFC

As a key par Royal Mail Recognition for PEFC

As a key part of its environmental policy, the British postal service has developed a standard for responsible mailing, Sustainable Mail. To qualify for the scheme, organisations must comply with a number of criteria including use of recycled content or paper certified to credible certification scheme such as PEFC's.
The Sustainable Mail standard is closely aligned to the British Standards Institute's specification document on environmental performance of Direct Mailing, PAS 2020. Meeting the new standard enables companies using direct mail in their marketing mix to demonstrate their commitment to recycling, sustainablity and waste reduction as well as helping to improve theit overall corporate environmental performance.
Full compliance with the standard gives a reduction in postage cost of almost 5%, as these costs represent up to 70% of the cost of a direct mail campaign, the saving can be significant.
Virgin fiber certified to a certification scheme approved by DEFRA's CPET such as PEFC is considered an environmentally-friendly option as it contributes to a reduction in carbon in the atmosphere and is readily renewable.There are also limits to the amount of recycled paper available since paper can not be recycled infinitely.
"In addition to decreasing on organisation's environmental footprint, Sustainable Mail allows for major cost reductions", said Hilary Khawam, PEFC UK Communication Director. "With PEFC-certified paper widely available in the UK, there are numerous responsible sourcing options available to companies wishing to take advantage of this scheme."

March 4, 2010
PEFC Exhibits at Biodiversity Expo 2010 in Osaka

PEFC Asia Promotions will have a booth (No. 010) at Biodiversity Expo 2010, which is organised by the Ministry of the Environment and will be held in Osaka on 20th and 21st March. The year 2010 is defined as the International Biodiversity Year and this event is a part of the government's promotion of wider and better understanding of the values of biodiversity in the Japanese society. PEFC supports the promotion and will display PEFC-related materials and samples of PEFC-certified wood and paper products.
PEFC welcomes and encourages all stakeholders, who are interested in learning more about PEFC or obtaining PEFC CoC certificate, to come and visit our booth.

March 2, 2010 new
First PEFC Forest Management Certification in Russia

PEFC Council announced in its news dated 2nd March 2010 that the first PEFC forest management certificate has been issued in Russia for a forest (176,500 hectares) in Leningrad Province located northeast of St. Petersburg. PEFC Council Secretary General, Ben Gunneberg welcomes this outstanding achievement as the start of the growth of PEFC in Russia, which has estimated 800 million hectares of forest that corresponds to almost 20% of the total forest area of the world.
For more information, please go to PEFC Council webpage.

February 17, 2010
PEFC & Biodiversity

"PEFC & Biodiversity" column in the PEFC Council website explains how biodiversity is maintained, preserved, or enhanced in PEFC-certified forests. For details :PEFC and Biodiversity

February 8, 2010 new
First PEFC-Certified Forests in Malaysia

According to the Malaysian forest certification scheme MTCC, two forests have been certified recently to PEFC. The certified forests are, Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve in Sabah and Negari Sembilan EMU in the Penninsula Malaysia. The total certified area of these forests are 211,432 ha, but MTCC expects that the certification under the PEFC-endorsed MTCC standard will increase rapidly from now.
With regard to the CoC standard, shift from MTCC from PEFC is advancing orderly and so far 21 companies have been certified to the PEFC International CoC standard.

February 5, 2010
Belgium Publisher to Print on PEFC-Certified Paper

One of the biggest publishers in Belgium, Roularta Media Group, will publish many of its magazines on PEFC-certified paper as part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility.
William Metsu, General Manager of Roularta Printing: By procuring PEFC-certified material, we have the assurance that the timber used for the production of the paper originates from sustainably managed forests, the company states in its press release."

"This initiative demonstrates Roularta's consideration for the environment and is a major contribution to sustainable forest management and forest certification," said Mieke Vercruijsse from PEFC Belgium.

This move is in line with developments in other countries such as the UK, where the print, paper and publishing sectors account for more than fifty percent of all PEFC Chain of Custody certificates, with over 60% of the UK's top twenty print management companies specifying PEFC in their procurement policies.

The Economist, the weekly international news and business publication, has been printed on PEFC-certified paper since last year.

Roularta expects that a wide range of its publications, including Knack/Le Vif-L'Express, Weekend Knac /Le Vif Weekent, Focus Knack/Focus Vif, Voetvalmagazine Spot/Sport Foot Magazine, and Trends/Tendances will be available on PEFC-certified paper starting this summer once the company has used up its current paper stock.

January 27, 2010
Increasing Availability of Certified Timber in the UK (Timber Trade Federation Research Report)

On 20 January 2010, PEFC Council reported on the research report published by the Timber Trade Federation in the UK. According to the report, the availability of certified timber and panel products has significantly increased in the UK during the past three years from 2005.
The PEFC share of timber and panel products produced in the UK and imported rose to 32% in 2008 from a level of 18% in 2005.
The report says that around 1 in 3 customers now specially requests certifed products, an increase from around 10% of sales in 2005 to over 30% in 2008.

For more details please view the News page of the PEFC Council website.

January 20, 2010
NPO PEFC Asia Promotions Encourages Your Participation!

Since its establishment in Nov. 2003, PEFC Asia Promotions has been engaged in promotion of PEFC and PEFC logo in Japan and other countries in Asia.
Through events such as participation in trade shows, holding seminars, provision of lectures, meetings, interviews with relevant industry media and maintenance/management of the website, PEFC Aisa Promotions provides PEFC-related information and news in the local language, advice on acquiring PEFC CoC certification, PEFC notification for the local certification bodies and PEFC logo license to companies in Japan.
Our activities have been financially supported by the PEFC Council and other overseas stakeholders and supporters of PEFC.
During the past few years the understanding of forest certification and PEFC and its value has remarkably advanced in the Japanese market and our activities and services have expanded accordingly.
It is now vitally important that our activities will be supported also by the Japanese stakeholders in order to continue and maitain high quality services.
We, PEFC Asia Promotions, will appreciate your consideration of joining NPO PEFC Asia Promotions as a member and support our activities for the purpose of further promotion of PEFC in Japanand Asia.

November 13, 2009
A new page for PEFC Statements has been created

Some news on PEFC Statements announced here in this "What's New?" page were just moved to the newly created PEFC Statements page.
The moved news are as follows:

November, 2009
PEFC Comment on FSC's Comparison Between FSC Control Wood and PEFC

PEFC Council criticized the recent FSC's comparative analysis of PEFC criteria against FSC Control Wood criteria. PEFC Council Secretary General, Ben Gunneberg said, "There are differences in approaches by the world's leading forest certification organizations, but this should not distract from their core missions, the promotion of responsible forestry."
For viewing PEFC's comment, please go to PEFC Council website.

The Japanese translation of this document PDF is available at our Japanese page.

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