1 PEFC stands for Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes. It is an independent, non-profit NGO, founded in 1999

2 Its voluntary forest certification and eco-labelling programme was set up to address the certification requirements of the 15 million European small-scale forest owners (often owning less than five hectares of land)

3 The PEFC scheme promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third-party certification, which uses internationally recognised accreditation using processes from International Accreditation Forum and certification from International Standards Organisation to ensure independence, credible standard-setting and delivery of sustainable forest management

4 It is a global umbrella organisation for the assessment and mutual recognition of national forest certification schemes and has 32 independent schemes across six continents

5 PEFC scheme stakeholders include forest owners, industry, and environmental and social NGOs

6 The 22 national forest schemes that have been endorsed to date account for 200 million hectares of certified forests the equivalent of two-thirds of the world’s certified forests. This makes it the world’s largest scheme with forests producing millions of tonnes of certified timber

7 The PEFC scheme provides an assurance of legal and sustainable sourcing and enables purchasers to be confident that by choosing PEFC-certified wood and paper products and undergoing chain of custody certification, they are supporting sustainable forestry

www.pefc.org