All timber originating from Russia and Belarus is ‘conflict timber’ and therefore cannot be used in PEFC-certified products, the Board of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) announced 4 March 2022.

 

‘Conflict timber’ is defined as “Timber that has been traded at some point in the chain of custody by armed groups, be they rebel factions or regular soldiers, or by a civilian administration involved in armed conflict or its representatives, either to perpetuate conflict or take advantage of conflict situations for personal gain". PEFC is extremely concerned about the Russian government's attack on Ukraine. This has "an immediate and long-term destructive impact on the environment, on forests, and on the many people that depend on forests for their livelihoods". FAQ & Answers Here.

 

 

 

The Responsible Wood Forest Certification System for Australia and New Zealand has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Responsible Wood Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 28 April. Responsible Wood revised the national forest certification system for Australia and New Zealand following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. See all system assessment details for Australia and New Zealand. Read more here.

 

 

 

A wooden dining room table may be able to store carbon for up to 30 years or more, up until it is discarded. This is the basic premise of how a carbon sink works, essentially a natural reservoir, like forests, oceans, or the soil, that absorbs more carbon from the surrounding atmosphere than they produce. This is the theme of an article on the PEFC Furniture Blog headlined: Can Tables and Chairs Help Combat Climate Change? You can expect to read more about the importance of certified wood for furniture in the upcoming article entitled "Adopting three pillars of sustainability for the furniture industry" by Ken Hickson in the March/April issue of Panels & Furniture Asia magazine due out any day. Go to Panels & Furniture for more.

 

 

 

The importance of PEFC and IFCC certification in the Indonesian Furniture and Crafts industry was the focus of a recent webinar by Double Helix Tracking Technoloigies, with IFCC and PEFC Southeast Asia speakers, including Wikkie Netten, who shared how PEFC certification helps producers gain access to global markets. According to the PEFC/GfK Global Consumer Survey, 80% of consumers want companies to use appropriate labels on products and 30% said they actively look for forest certification labels when purchasing wood products. Gaining PEFC chain of custody certification and applying the PEFC label to your products enables you to communicate your responsible practices visibly to your customers. Use the pass code:4$T1%q@G Hear the webinar recording here.

 

 

 

Malaysia Timber Certification Council (MTCC) will be participating in the hybrid “Sustainable Forestry and Timber Construction” on 15 March, organised by Expo 2020 Dubai, Swedish Pavilion. A presentation will be done by MTCC CEO Siti Syaliza Mustapha on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in Malaysia. The day’s programme includes guided tours of the Swedish and Malaysian pavilions, as well as sessions covering: Forests, timber and the global climate – facts and visions; Challenges and developments in mass-timber construction; Timber technology, health, well-being, risks and opportunities; Financial benefits from timber technology; Timber driven entrepreneurship and new value chains; Challenges in global forestry; Timber as a scarce resource – saving or destroying habitat; Regional forestry challenges, handling biodiversity and yield; The Wood solution; positive examples from around the world. Read all about it.