Building on momentum: reviewing the significant progress in PEFC in 2013

27 June 2014 News

Momentum has been gathering strength in the world of sustainable forest management, propelled by issues such as climate change, but so it has at PEFC, as the organization started a new five-year management cycle based on its 2013-17 strategy.

“We have leveraged this pervasive momentum to achieve ever-more impactful results. At the end of 2013, nearly 260 million hectares of forests were PEFC-certified and over 15,800 companies benefitted from PEFC Chain of Custody certification. This upward trend is set to accelerate as more of the seeds we have planted over the last 13 years come to fruition”, said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC Secretary General, in the Annual Review.

“Building on our momentum not only serves the world’s forests but equally the livelihoods of the millions in the communities that depend on them. Our bottom-up approach has always made PEFC the preferred option for small, family forest owners, and our collaborative ethos is fast making us the partner of choice for everyone engaged in sustainable forest management.”

The success of PEFC is also reflected by broad industry acceptance, in 2013 highlighted by the inclusion of PEFC certification into the recommendations of two highly influential industry documents: the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Guidelines and the World Business Councils for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Leadership Statement. In 2014, the finance sector followed suit, with the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) also referencing PEFC in its Soft Commodity compact.

In light of Asia’s rapidly growing economy, in 2013 PEFC carried out an unprecedented amount of awareness raising, capacity building and training in this globally important region, and progressed on a number of important issues, including:

Accelerating forest certification

• Improving support for, and advancing the development of, national forest certification systems
• Delivering value to small forest owners

Strengthening market development

• Advancing sustainable trade in Asia
• Enabling business continuity and new opportunities as the European Timber Regulation (EUTR) took effect

Increasing awareness

• Promoting PEFC certification to advance sustainable forest management
• Strengthening support for certified forest owners, businesses, and consumers

“Our achievements would not have been possible without the support we are enjoying from our members, partners, and stakeholders, and we are grateful to count you as one of them,” emphasized Mr. Gunneberg. “I’d like to invite you to read more about our progress and contributions towards a world in which people manage forests sustainably in 2013 in Building on Momentum: a review of PEFC activities.”