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PEFC International

PEFC

PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems.

Lobbying Activity

Response to EU taxonomy - Review of the environmental delegated act

5 Dec 2025

PEFC, as a voluntary forest certification system, welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the call for evidence regarding the review of the EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act. In our view, several challenges remain in the practical implementation of the current criteria and requirements. In this context, further simplification and, importantly, clarification of the criteria would be highly beneficial. We also note that the Taxonomy is increasingly referenced in other EU policies, creating additional requirements and administrative burdens that extend beyond its original scope. More broadly, the implications for forest owners remain unclear. Many are seeking guidance on how compliance with the criteria can translate into added market value, yet the pathways to receive such benefits are insufficiently defined. We also observe that voluntary forest certification is playing an expanding role in green finance. We believe the EU Taxonomy should further examine how established and widely applied forest certification systems, like PEFC, can support and strengthen its implementation. Looking ahead, any future criteria must be balanced and fit for purpose. Forest owners should be able to realise added value from the markets. Criteria should not be limited to top performers but should also recognise established, responsible forest management practices and the multifunctionality of forests. Finally, the criteria must be practical, applicable, and adaptable to the diverse forest management approaches across Europe.
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Response to Policy agenda for cities

26 May 2025

PEFC welcomes the European Commissions initiative on the new EU Agenda for Cities and would like to highlight both the vital role of urban trees and forests in creating resilient, healthy, and sustainable urban environment and the significant impact local authorities can have by using and promoting materials originating from sustainable sources. 1. The potential of sustainably managed urban trees and forests The benefits of trees and forests in urban settings are manifold, as they provide a wide range of ecosystem services. They act as natural carbon sinks, help reduce the urban heat island effect, support biodiversity, improve air quality, and manage stormwater, making them indispensable components of nature-based solutions to urban environmental challenges. Beyond their ecological functions, urban forests enhance quality of life for millions of European citizens. Green spaces offer physical and mental health benefits, promote social cohesion, and provide recreational and educational opportunities. They also contribute to cultural identity and heritage, while enhancing the aesthetic value and economic vitality of urban neighborhoods. Urban trees also deliver important economic benefits. Indirectly, they reduce energy consumption through shading and insulation, increase property values, and lower healthcare costs through their positive health impacts. Additionally, when sustainably managed and properly valued, they can generate direct economic returns through wood production and other ecosystem services. As urban areas continue to grow and densify, the strategic and science-based planning, preservation, sustainable management, and governance of urban green are essential to fostering resilient and livable communities. PEFC certification today already promotes sustainable management practices in urban areas through its Trees Outside Forest (TOF) certification, with the city of Zwolle (Netherlands) recently achieving the first TOF certificate. TOF certification supports local authorities to manage their green infrastructure according to nationally adapted standards that aim for environmental, social, and economic sustainability goals. It provides a verification of sustainable practices, enhances credibility, creates new market opportunities, and builds public trust in municipal operations. 2. The impact of local authorities through the use and promotion of sustainable materials Local authorities also play a key role in promoting sustainability through the use of responsibly sourced materials, such as certified wood and other forest products. By choosing forest products certified by schemes like PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification), they support sustainable forest management, protect biodiversity, and encourage responsible supply chains, while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact of for example public construction and renovation projects. Through sustainable public procurement practices, local governments can lead by example, encouraging the wider adoption of environmentally conscious materials. By including sustainability criteria in tenders and engaging with local suppliers, authorities help build market demand for certified products while supporting climate and resource goals in a practical, transparent way. 3. PEFC Recommendations We therefore believe the new EU Agenda for Cities should include a focus on urban forests and trees and explore different ways in which the EU can support cities in planning, developing, and managing their urban green spaces sustainably, thus maximizing their full potential. We would also recommend that the role cities play today through public procurement be acknowledged and further promoted and supported so that every city can fully implement its procurement policies and lead by example. PEFC is keen to engage with cities and support them in achieving their long-term sustainability goals by providing concrete solutions and tools.
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Meeting with Lucie Šestáková (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela), Riccardo Rossi (Cabinet of Commissioner Jozef Síkela)

5 Feb 2025 · Forest certification regulation

Meeting with Anne-Maud Orlinski (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen), Kamil Talbi (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen)

5 Feb 2025 · Presentation of the activities of the PFEC

Meeting with Adam Romanowski (Cabinet of Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič)

5 Feb 2025 · Exchange of view on EUDR and forest certifications

Meeting with Taru Haapaniemi (Cabinet of Commissioner Christophe Hansen)

5 Feb 2025 · Forest certification, forestry, bioeconomy

Meeting with Elsi Katainen (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Nov 2024 · Current issues in forest certification

Meeting with Martin Häusling (Member of the European Parliament) and Familienbetriebe Land und Forst Bayern e.V. and

20 Jun 2023 · Teilnahme PEFC EU Forum

Meeting with Kyriacos Charalambous (Cabinet of Commissioner Johannes Hahn), Maximilian Strotmann (Cabinet of Commissioner Johannes Hahn)

27 Sept 2022 · Sustainable forestry management

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Stefanie Hiesinger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and

31 Aug 2022 · Implementation of the EU Forest Strategy for 2030, and the LULUCF proposal

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

29 Sept 2021 · EU Forest Strategy

Meeting with Camilla Bursi (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius)

29 Sept 2021 · EU Forest Strategy

Response to Detailed implementing rules for the voluntary schemes recognised by the European Commission

27 Jul 2021

PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, shares the ambition of the European Commission to establish harmonised rules for the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and in this view to ensure that compliance with the sustainability and GHG emissions saving criteria and other requirements is verified in a robust manner through adequate standards of reliability, transparency, and independent auditing that minimise the risk of fraud to the greatest extent possible. However, upon reviewing the draft Implementing Regulation we observe that it may risk confusing the very distinct role of voluntary schemes, certification bodies and accreditation bodies in the conformity assessment process which may lead to a decreased level of reliability, transparency, and robustness of the compliance verification process, including the independence of auditing. In the draft rules, some concrete examples concern issues such as the audit process and audit scope which should be applied by certification bodies, while rules concerning issues such as the competence of auditors and certification bodies should be mainly applied by accreditation bodies. This ensures the independence of standard-setting and safeguards the impartiality of the compliance verification process. To minimise the risk of any such confusion from happening, we believe that it would be prudent for the Commission to consider recalling Regulation (EC) 765/2008, which suggests in Paragraph (25) to request the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) to develop a sector specific scheme. While this may prolong the process of establishing implementing rules, we believe that it is important to balance the need for prompt implementation with the need to ensure that compliance with the sustainability and GHG emissions saving criteria is verified in an adequate and harmonised manner acknowledging the distinct roles in the conformity verification process. ABOUT PEFC PEFC International is a voluntary forest certification system. Founded in 1999 by European-based small- and family forest owners, PEFC has grown to become the largest certification system of its kind, ensuring that more than a million smallholders around the world manage their forests sustainably. Today, over 330 million hectares of forest area – or 75% of all certified forests in the world - are managed in compliance with PEFC's internationally accepted Sustainability Benchmark. In addition to the more than one million forest owners who have obtained PEFC forest management certification, about 20.000 companies around the world are PEFC chain of custody certified. Compliance with PEFC requirements is verified based on globally recognized, harmonised standards such as those developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and IAF-recognised regional organisations, such as the EA. PEFC has amended these standards with scheme-specific requirements to ensure the robust verification of the performance of economic operators in the forest-based sector by certification bodies. PEFC has applied for recognition under the re-cast EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).
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Response to Guidance on REDII forest biomass sustainability criteria

28 Apr 2021

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). PEFC welcomes the European Commission’s draft operational guidance for Member States and economic operators that further specify how to demonstrate compliance with the sustainability criteria for forest biomass, set out in Article 29 of the Directive 2018/2001/EU. We would like to thank for the possibility to provide our feedback to the draft operational guidance and in this light highlight the importance of the uniform rules the guidance aims to provide. At the same time, speaking as an international umbrella certification scheme, we would like to emphasize a challenge when rules may become too descriptive on an international level and may potentially have an impact on an appropriate implementation of the new sustainability criteria for forest biomass at national level. Example: Art. 2 (j) on definitions - “/.../stumps larger than or equal to 10 cm in diameter or any other diameter used by the country concerned;”.
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Response to EU strategy for sustainable textiles

2 Feb 2021

PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Roadmap on the EU strategy for sustainable textiles. PEFC is the world’s leading forest certification system, with the majority of Europe’s certified forest managed in compliance with PEFC requirements. In view of European Commission’s elaborations on the future EU strategy for sustainable textiles, PEFC would like to highlight the role of wood-based textile fibers that come from sustainably managed forests and the potential of the sustainable forest management in helping the textile sector to reduce its environmental impact and carbon footprint and boost its competitiveness, sustainability and resilience. Sustainable forest management is about optimising forests’ many benefits for people and the planet, while conserving and maintaining their ecosystems. An important part of this is ensuring that forests can fulfil their potential as a natural climate change solution. Forest fibres come from a renewable source and, thanks in part to recent technological innovations, they consume relatively low levels of water and energy. After the tree is harvested it continues to store the carbon that has been captured. With sustainable sourcing, the use of wood-based materials helps to preserve and enhance forests’ ability to capture carbon in addition to safeguarding biodiversity in forests. Alternative sources of textile fiber, such as viscose, acetate, lyocell and other forest fibres, already make up about 6.2% of global textile production. Fashion brands and retailers are looking closely at how wood-based materials can support improvements in their own environmental impact and are still evolving their approach to forest fibres. Global efforts to protect and restore the world’s forests and maintain them as a vital solution in the fight against climate change can be further supported by ensuring the sources of wood-based products are managed sustainably. In case when sources cannot be verified, they risk contributing to deforestation and its damaging social and environmental consequences. To mitigate any risk at the beginning of textiles' life cycle, recognised systems for the certification of sustainable forest management and its supply chain, such as PEFC, can play a key role. PEFC has been giving fashion brands and retailers the assurance that they are using wood-based fibres that have been sourced sustainably from thriving forests that are playing their part in tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity. It provides evidence that companies are not contributing to deforestation or illegal logging, nor intensifying the accompanying social and environmental problems. PEFC chain of custody certification tracks forest-based products from their origin to the final product - from logging to fibre production, spinning, dying and weaving, and garment manufacturing through to the final labelled product. For further details, please review PEFC White Paper on “How sustainable forest management can help the fashion industry reduce its carbon footprint?” .
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Response to EU Forest Strategy

27 Nov 2020

PEFC International welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Roadmap on the EU Forest Strategy. PEFC is the world’s leading forest certification system, with the majority of Europe’s certified forest managed in compliance with PEFC requirements .More than 1 million small-and family forest owners are PEFC certified,. PEFC calls on the European Commission to consider the following points when elaborating its proposals for the future EU Forest Strategy to: • further promote the European Green Deal communication and the important role forests play within this initiative • develop a coherent approach to bring together biodiversity protection and climate protection in a thriving forest-based sector and bio-economy • be coordinated and better integrated with relevant EU legislations and initiatives, including, but not limited to the Common Agriculture Policy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Renewable Energy Directive • Secure financing, including for research, enhancing the use of EU and national budget ensuring a consistent approach among different funding instruments; • acknowledge and promote the contribution of sustainably managed forests and the resulting forest-based products, derived from sustainable raw materials, in replacing fossil-fuel based materials, thereby contributing to a climate neutral society. In this context o clearly recognize and promote the role of forests as the source of wood as the most climate friendly raw material o also strengthen incentives and frameworks that encourage the use of sustainable forest-based materials, such as the specification of PEFC forest certification in EU GPP criteria and other procurement policies • build on the work of Forest Europe by referencing and adding the Forest Europe SFM definition, criteria & principles • recognize and further strengthen the positive role that forests and the forest-based sector play in terms of green economic growth, employment and safe jobs specifically in rural areas • be considered to the specific needs of smallholders, private- and family forest owners. In this respect, ensure long-term commitment and interest for managing EU forests and that the motivation of forest owners to manage their forests is maintained and further strengthened • re-consider statements such as “measures to avoid or correct unsustainable practices » which implies that forests are not sustainably managed” or “strive to decrease the loss of forest coverage” given that the EU forest coverage has been increasing for many years and much of Europe’s forests are sustainably managed, which is to a large extent verified through third-party certification such as PEFC. • create an enabling framework conditions that support the implementation of SFM at national level within national competencies • incorporate risk management as an important point in the management of forest areas • clarify the definition of important issues, such as what exactly is meant by “last remaining primary and old growth forests who may need strict protection” or “innovative forest-based services and products with low environmental impact, replacing carbon intensive counterparts” • to build on recommendations from the Member States in the Council conclusions (11.11.2020) and from the European Parliament Resolution (8.10.2020). • mandate the relevant implementation bodies to promptly provide clear and applicable definitions on primary and old growth forest and support related research and mapping initiatives • ensure the sustainable management of all EU forests through both regulatory and voluntary frameworks. In this context, support and promote PEFC certification as a voluntary mechanism for forest owners to demonstrate their SFM practices • promote an ongoing transparent and inclusive dialogue with participation of all stakeholders at local and national levels, such as provided by PEFC national forest certification systems, to continuously advance and fine tune the understanding of SFM
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