Australia and Portugal seek PEFC re-endorsement for the second time
Stakeholders globally are invited to provide feedback on their compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks by 29 September 2014.
Australia and Portugal seek PEFC re-endorsement for the second time
31 July 2014 PEFC system news
The Australian Forest Certification Scheme and the Portuguese Forest Certification Scheme are now open for global public consultation, following their submission for PEFC re-endorsement. Stakeholders globally are invited to provide feedback on their compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks by 29 September 2014.
Australia and Portugal are looking to become re-endorsed for the second time, with both countries first achieving endorsement back in 2004.
Australia was among the first non-European countries to become recognized by PEFC, and since then, over 10 million hectares of forest have been certified in the country, making up two-thirds of the certified forest area in the Asia Pacific region.
The revised Australian system was submitted to PEFC for endorsement this month, following the release of a revised forest management Standard last year after two years of development with the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders. The revised and improved standard reflects current best forest management practice and further strengthens forest managers’ responsibilities in relation to social, cultural and public participation requirements.
In Portugal, cork production plays an important role in many rural areas, with over half the world’s production of natural cork coming from the country. As consumers increasingly demand their products to be sustainably sourced, PEFC certification offers significant opportunities, not only for the cork producers themselves, but also for the economic development specifically in rural areas. The ability to sell certified cork-based products, such as cork stoppers for bottles, not only improves their access to a more international market, but also helps them to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
PEFC International limits the validity of endorsements to five years, ensuring that national systems are revised in multi-stakeholder processes after which they can apply for re-endorsement to continue benefitting from PEFC recognition.
As part of the endorsement process, PEFC seeks comments and feedback from all interested parties to ensure full compliance of the national systems with PEFC's Sustainability Benchmark during a 60-day global public consultation.
All comments received during the global public consultation will provide valuable information for the third-party assessor in determining whether the respective national system is in compliance with international requirements.
Interested stakeholders are invited to use PEFC's Online Consultation Tool to provide comments on the Australian and Portuguese Forest Certification Schemes by 29 September 2014.
Australia
- Participate in the Australian consultation
- Australian Forest Certification Scheme System documentation