The rapid growth of PEFC to become the world's largest certification system and its popularity among family and community forest owners are a testament to the solid foundation on which PEFC is built and its importance in promoting sustainable forest management globally.

To this must be added the 7,143 companies that have obtained PEFC Chain of Custody certification to demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing of certified products. Strong growth in demand for PEFC has been seen in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where more than half of all wood imported in 2008 was PEFC-certified, a figure almost double that of 2005.

PEFC’s work is also made possible by the voluntary engagement of countless stakeholders at local and national level on four continents, who support its ongoing efforts to expand certification and sustainable forest management beyond the current 8% of global forest area.

Quick Facts

• About 223 million hectares of forest area (or 551 million acres) are managed in compliance with PEFC's internationally accepted Sustainability Benchmark. This is an area equivalent to the size of the whole of Mexico; or France, Germany, Italy and the UK combined.
• Two-thirds of all certified forests globally are certified to PEFC.
• By the beginning of July 2010, 7,143 companies and organizations have achieved PEFC Chain of Custody certification.
• One-third of all Chains of Custody globally have been awarded by PEFC.
• 34 national members and 28 endorsed national certification systems have joined forces under the PEFC umbrella to collaboratively promote sustainable forest management.
• PEFC certification is a standard of choice for public timber procurement policies in e.g. the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, in addition to numerous private timber procurement policies.