Greenpeace claims incorrect and outdated, PEFC confirms

The claims made by Greenpeace are invalid, incorrect and based on an outdated and discredited report from 2011.

Greenpeace claims incorrect and outdated, PEFC confirms

29 March 2018 News

In a statement announcing the termination of its membership with FSC, Greenpeace makes reference to PEFC, claiming that it is a "weaker certification scheme" that "cannot guarantee either legality or minimum responsible forest management practices on the ground". PEFC strongly refutes these claims.

The claims made by Greenpeace are invalid, incorrect and based on an outdated and discredited report from 2011 "On the Ground", which was published by a set of organizations with close links or vested interests in promoting FSC over PEFC due to their affiliations.

"The claims in Greenpeace’s statement repeat outdated claims that, as far back as 2011, we already demonstrated were, and remain, unsubstantiated,“ said Mr Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International.

"PEFC has been independently assessed to deliver legality and sustainability on the ground," emphasized Ben Gunneberg.

"We therefore fail to understand why Greenpeace – despite knowing better - continues to utilize its considerable ability to influence the court of public opinion to discredit the work of the one million small-forest owners who sustainably manage their forests in compliance with our globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks."

Further information

PEFC & EUDR

Discover how we're working to align with the EUDR and bring our PEFC EUDR solution to the market.

Conflict Timber

See PEFC's guidance following the announcement that all timber originating from Russia and Belarus is ‘conflict timber’.

PEFC contact

Thorsten Arndt

Head of Advocacy

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