Why Labels

Matter
The Business Case for
Using the PEFC Label

www.pefc.org

PEFC Council
World Trade Center 1
10, route de lAroport
CH-1215 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 799 45 40
info@pefc.org

PEFC Certification
Your Label of Trust

www.pefc.org

What is PEFC?
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

Global alliance (not-for-profit association) of 41 grassrootsinspired national forest certification organizations

World's leading forest certification system, offering the largest

choice of sustainably-sourced timber and wood-based products

The only global certification system utilizing globally recognized

ISO/IAF mechanism for compliance verification

PEFC specifically considers the unique needs of small and family

forest owners while being equally used by large landowners

PEFC is required or recommended by public and private

procurement policies around the world

Most trusted forest certification label globally by consumers

Behind the label

What forest certification delivers
Forest Management

Chain of Custody

Delivers sustainable wood raw material that is:

legal: wood is harvested in compliance with local legislation and international agreements
from well managed forests: safeguarding environmental, social & economic values
traceable: the raw material supply chain is verified from the forest to the finished product
4

Market Demand
Forest owners/processors request certification

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The WBCSD is a CEO-led organization made up of some

of the worlds 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

Market Demand
Retailers/consumer goods companies request certification

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.

Market Demand
The finance sector requests certification

Banking Environment Initiative

The Soft Commodities Compact, in support of CGF goals. Result

of two years of extensive collaboration between the BEI and the
CGF, with advice from WWF.

The Compact includes a commitment for banks to raise the

standards they expect of certain clients in high risk geographies.
Compact banks will confirm that customer operations have
achieved the same internationally recognized means of
verification that the CGF is prioritizing: This includes PEFC for
timber.

Signatories include: Barclays, BNY Mellon, China Construction Bank, Deutsche

Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, Nomura, Northern Trust, Santander, Sumitomo Mitsui
Banking Corporation and Westpac.

Market Demand
Governments, private guidelines request certification

Public Procurement Policies & Labels

Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France Germany,
Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK
European Green Public Procurement
EU Eco Label
Private Guidelines
European Retail Environmental Sustainability Code
Singapore Environmental Council
Multiple green buildings councils & associations
(Australia, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, UK,
US)
8

Market Demand
Consumers request certification
What reassures you most that environmental
considerations have been taken into account?

Label certifying ethical

considerations

54%

Country of origin ("Made in")

Brand

30%

24%

Recommendations of
family/friends

17%

Media recommendation - TV,

press, newspaper

16%

Source: PEFC/GfK Global Consumer Survey (Nov 2014)

Market Demand
Consumers request certification; trust certification
Mean
Value

PEFC

15

23

49

7 6

3,4

(AFS / CERFLOR / CFCC / SFI)

5 - I strongly agree

is a label I can trust

4
3
2
1 - I strongly disagree

FSC

14

24

49

7 6

is a label I can trust

Would you prefer

companies to label
products?

15%
4%

Yes
No
81%

10

Source: PEFC/GfK Global Consumer Survey (Nov 2014)

Don't know

3,3

Market Acceptance
Multinational companies using the PEFC label

[] all Lipton tea packs in Europe are

certified via PEFC.
Unilever

We are committed to purchasing timber and

timber products for the UK market only from
legal, sustainable sources.
Tesco

PepsiCo will continuously work with its

suppliers to be environmentally sustainable in
their practices by following credible forestry
standards and ensuring their fiber purchasing
is only from sources that support responsible
forest management.
PepsiCo
11

Benefits for Your Business

Advantages of PEFC certification & labelling

12

Meet expectations
The PEFC label allows your company to demonstrate its
environmental and social responsibility to customers.
Procurement policies by governments and companies are increasingly
specifying certification as a key requirement.

Secure supply
Secure your supply of sustainably sourced material with the assurance
that the raw material used in your packaging originates from legal and
sustainable sources, aligned with regulatory requirements such as
EUTR.
There is a larger quantity of material certified to PEFC than any other
forest certification system, providing you with competitive options.

Position your business

The PEFC label allows consumers and customers alike to value your
companys engagement towards sustainability.
PEFC provides you with access to an increasingly discerning market.

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Supply
Availability
PEFC the Worlds Largest
Forest Certification System

www.pefc.org

Countries developing a system

for eventual PEFC endorsement

24

PEFC Certified Forest Area

Covering more than a quarter of a billion hectares
300
272.1 275.3
263.2
245.1

Certified forest area (million ha)

250
217.7

200

187.7

150

100

50

25

41.1
32.4

46.1

50.9 55.3

193.8 194.4

223.5

229.6

253.1
237.4

PEFC Chain of Custody

>10,000 certificates covering >17,000 companies
12000
10'831
10'59110'744
9996

No. of Chain of Custody certificates

10000

9529
8797
7688

8000

6166

6000
4420

4000

3545
2901
2362
1905

2000
1100
463
59

26

Cartons
Selected PEFC-certified suppliers

27

Corrugated Materials
Selected PEFC-certified suppliers

28

Promoting
Sustainability
PEFC Certification
Safeguarding the Worlds
Forests

www.pefc.org

Sustainable Forest Management

How we define SFM

The stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way

and at a rate that maintains their biodiversity, productivity,
regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfil now
and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social
functions at local, national and global levels, and that does not
cause damage to other eco-systems.
1993 Pan-European Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)

30

Sustainably managed forests are those whose

management implements performance standards based on
internationally agreed environmental, social and economic
requirements

SFM in Practice

31

Forest Benefits
Why forests are so important

32

Forest are home to 2 out of 3 living

species

1.6 billion people (1 in 5 persons) in

the world rely on forest resources for
their livelihoods

350 million of these people live directly

around forests

Sustainable forest management

makes a difference

Role of Forest Certification

The contribution of PEFC

Sustainable forest management contributes positively to

tackling societal challenges such as climate change, poverty
alleviation, water management issues, biodiversity loss
Forest certification
Provides evidence for sustainable forest management
through third-party certification
Provides forest owners with access to markets demanding
certified products
Encourages sharing of knowledge and best practices,
continuous improvement
Assists in securing forest benefits long-term

33

Small- and Family Forest Owners

PEFC: From smallholders, for smallholders

We are committed to conserving forests and their

invaluable biodiversity, and the communities and
families that own, work, and live in and around forests.
William Street, PEFC Chairman

The PEFC certification framework has brought

significant numbers of small private non-industrial forest
owners into the certification movement []
UNECE/FAO

PEFC is the certification system of choice for small- and family

forest owners globally. Many of them, like me, look for the PEFC
label on products to see if the manufacturer is supporting us in our
good work and endeavour to take care of our forests for future
generations.
Lorenz Klein von Wisenberg, International Family Forestry Alliance (IFFA)
34

Responsible Forest Management

PEFC 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 unauthorised 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 peoples rights, incl. free, prior and informed consent
Protect sites with recognised specific historical, cultural or spiritual significance
Safeguard areas fundamental to meeting the basic needs of local communities

Healthy Workers

35

Comply with all fundamental ILO conventions; safe working conditions

Consideration of new opportunities for employment

Forest Certification Globally

Progress so far

10%
28%
40%
60%
72%
90%

28% of industrial
roundwood production
is certified

36

60% of total certified

area is PEFC

10% of the world

forests are certified
(UNECE/FAO 2013)

Your Commitment to Sustainability

Source responsibly, tell your story

You can demonstrate your commitment to responsible

sourcing and help secure the future of the worlds forests
by:

37

Developing and implementing a procurement policy which

recognizes or requires PEFC certification

Ensuring your preferred packaging supplier offers PEFCcertified products or encourage them to obtain PEFC
certification

Use the PEFC logo on your product packaging as an

assurance of responsible sourcing

Communicating what the logo means to your customers

Obtain PEFC certification for your company

Conclusions
Demand for certification & labeling poised to increase

Significant, heightened interest & commitment to

certification system development at national level; increase
in supply expected to meet growing demand internationally
particularly Europe, North America and Asian markets.
Legislation, procurement policies (both public & private) and
other sustainability initiatives continue to build awareness
and demand for certification and products thereof.
Market access, market demand and consumer recognition
represent a clear business case for countries wishing to
maintain their national identity and ownership of national
systems at international level through PEFC.
38

In Summary - Brand Owners

PEFC - Your assurance of responsible sourcing

39

Packaging is essential for protecting products on their

journey from factory to store and eventually to peoples
homes.

Consumers expect packaging to be responsibly-sourced,

with minimal impact on the environment and the worlds
forests.

Labels such as PEFCs are the most trusted source of

information for consumers.

PEFC certified packaging and the PEFC label

communicates your responsibility to consumers with each
interaction they have with your product.

In Summary Packaging Companies

PEFC - Your assurance of responsible sourcing

40

All actors in the value chain increasingly expect packaging

to be responsibly-sourced, with minimal impact on the
environment and the worlds forests.

In response, companies are increasingly looking to

demonstrate that the fiber they use in their packaging
comes from a certified sustainable source.

By obtaining PEFC Chain of Custody certification and

offering PEFC-certified material, you can provide your
customers with a responsible choice, enabling them to fulfill
market requirements and demonstrate their corporate
commitment to sustainable sourcing.

Thank you!
PEFC Council
World Trade Center 1
10, route de lAroport
CH-1215 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 799 45 40
info@pefc.org

www.pefc.org