Hopefully it’s not just print bores like me that, having taken a closer look at the logo (and noticing it’s not such a common-place one), will go online to find out what PEFC is all about. People are much more familiar with the various recycling logos and the FSC mark, which seems strange to me. The PEFC logo was designed for temperate forests and is more applicable for most paper in western Europe, while FSC was created to protect against the deforestation that can be rife in the tropics.

This disparity in awareness could be largely due to high-profile backing for FSC from lobby groups Greenpeace and WWF. Whichever certification is used, sustainably sourced virgin fibres can often be a more apt choice of stock than a recycled grade.

The brochure arrived a week after I’d visited UPM’s Nordland mill in northern Germany, where eco labelling was one of the topics being discussed by UPM’s UK director of environmental affairs John Sanderson. He had recently discussed the issue with someone who was bemoaning the lack of consumer awareness of PEFC certification, which put them off using PEFC-certified stock. Sanderson’s simple answer was that if the stock meets the criteria, use the logo, as it is only by making it more familiar that it will become recognised and accepted.

Paper companies, printers and print specifiers face a challenge of linguistics and logistics, and the need to balance customer recognition with understanding. Although FSC and PEFC certification both provide guarantees that paper comes from a sustainably managed forest, there is more awareness of the FSC brand even though there is more forest (and potentially more paper) managed under the PEFC scheme.

Just prior to spying the Hotel Chocolat brochure, I’d been with a printer that was in the midst of investing in its environmental credentials. We spoke about seeking ISO 14001 and FSC certification. This was the priority, as it was the topic at the top of their customers’ green agenda when buying print.

To give the customer what they think they want – evidence that the firm is FSC certified – is an understandable approach. It strikes me that FSC has become shorthand for sustainable forestry and synonymous for Chain of Custody certification. FSC is the Hoover or Sellotape of sustainability. Unfortunately, in this case, the power of one brand over another undermines the wider understanding of sustainability. Two approaches are likely to redress this. Firstly, take a leaf out of Blue Peter’s book and talk about the bigger picture around the labels. Call me pedantic, but it is important we go beyond the thinking that says ‘FSC equals Chain of Custody’ and get to the real issue. Follow the example of Hotel Chocolat: if a product has PEFC certification, label it to make it familiar and meaningful to as many people as possible.

Barney Cox is executive editor, Print Group Haymarket