The 2020 Chain of Custody and PEFC Trademarks standards

You may have noticed that in February 2020, PEFC published the latest versions of the PEFC Chain of Custody (ST 2002) and PEFC Trademarks (ST 2001) standards. But what does this mean for you as a PEFC chain of custody certified company?

Firstly, there is nothing you need to do in the short-term, as both standards have a 24-month transition period. You can continue business as normal with your certification against the 2013 version of the PEFC Chain of Custody standard – your certificate remains valid and you don’t need to change how you use the PEFC trademarks (the label).

The date you need to remember is 14 February 2022. Until this date, your audits (both annual and recertification) can continue to be done against the 2013 standard. However, your next audit after this date will need to be against the requirements in the 2020 standard. 13 February 2022 is the last date that you can be audited against the 2013 Chain of Custody standard. 

In order to be certified against the 2020 version of the standards, you will need to adapt your chain of custody management system and procedures to the revised requirements. You can see a summary of the main changes below:  

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/aaae8a0f-0975-48f9-9ef2-c0b41f9aff3f/9fe878bd-f381-5951-b6ed-b2204ccc2cb0.pdf

Once your management procedures are in line with the 2020 requirements, you should contact your certification body (or choose a new certification body) and inform them that your next audit will be against the 2020 Chain of Custody standard. 

After you have successfully passed your audit, the certification body will present you with a PEFC certificate. You will then be contacted by the PEFC national member in your country, or PEFC International, in order to sign a PEFC trademarks usage contract. If you already have one, you may simply be asked to accept an amendment to your existing contract. But don’t worry, your PEFC trademarks licence number won’t change.

Unlike the previous standard, it is now mandatory for you to sign a trademarks usage contract, even if you don’t plan on using the PEFC trademarks (though we hope you do!).

Once your trademarks usage contract is signed, you can request access to the new PEFC Label Generator, in order to start producing PEFC trademarks in line with the 2020 PEFC Trademarks standard.

Using the PEFC trademarks

The 2020 versions of the Chain of Custody and PEFC Trademarks standards are linked. This means that while you are still certified against the 2013 Chain of Custody standard, you need to continue using the PEFC trademarks in line with the 2008 PEFC Logo Usage Rules. 

Once you are certified against the 2020 Chain of Custody standard, you will need to use the PEFC trademarks in line with the 2020 PEFC Trademarks standard.

To make it easier for you, while you are certified against the 2013 Chain of Custody standard, you will continue to have access to the current version of the PEFC Label Generator (LG V1). This ensures you create PEFC labels in line with the correct graphic requirements.

Once you are certified against the 2020 Chain of Custody standard, and have signed a new trademarks usage contract (or accepted an amendment to your current contract), you can request access to the new version of the PEFC Label Generator (LG V2). LG V2 will produce PEFC labels in line with the graphic requirements on the 2020 PEFC Trademarks standard.

If you still have material that you produced while you were certified against the 2013 Chain of Custody standard, you can sell this remaining material using the PEFC trademarks according to the 2008 PEFC Logo Usage Rules. 

Please find a summary of the main changes to this standard below:

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/7c414b9b-43ab-4b07-9d83-ed3aa384303b/6443f822-2c03-58ce-a0ae-9e4867c07127.pdf

Choosing a certification body

In order for certification bodies to be able to provide certification services against the 2020 Chain of Custody standard, they need to undergo training and adapt their procedures, and get accredited against the 2020 version. For most certification bodies, this process will be ongoing throughout 2020. 

If you do decide to move to the 2020 Chain of Custody standard soon, please ensure your chosen certification body is able to provide certification against this version of the standard.

source: https://pefc.org/for-business/supply-chain-companies/moving-to-the-latest-standards

PEFC organized chain of custody training

In order to qualify for PEFC chain of custody certification according to the 2020 version of PEFC ST 2003, auditors, certification decision makers and reviewers have to attend an initial training recognized by PEFC. Once qualified, they are required to complete a refresher training once every two years and when there is a new issuance of the PEFC Chain of Custody or Trademarks standards.

This training helps ensure your personnel are up-to-date with the PEFC Chain of Custody standard and our expectations, clarifications and interpretations. It also allows us to exchange experiences and to receive valuable feedback on the implementation of the standard.

Only chain of custody training recognized by PEFC International is valid for the qualification and continued qualification of personnel. 

We organize various trainings throughout the year for auditors, reviewers and certification decision makers. These trainings are carried out by recognized PEFC International Technical Experts. 

The training

Depending on whether the training is initial or refresher, and by whom it is conducted, the training may take place in person, or online. The training fee also depends on the same factors – training announcements will always clearly identify the fee.

Our training is based on interactivity, practical examples, open question and answer sessions, and dedicated group work. This method enables auditors to benefit from the knowledge provided by our technical specialists, as well as from experience exchange between each other.

Additionally, in order to better adapt the training to the participants’ needs, participants are required to take case studies, prior to the training. Trainers will revise the case studies and adapt the training content based the needs of the participants. 

Following any training, participants will be required to complete an online knowledge test. Participants that pass the knowledge test will receive a certificate as proof of their participation in a PEFC chain of custody initial training.

Upcoming training sessions

You can find the upcoming trainings on the right and the complete list of trainings on our website. If you need more information, or if you are unsure whether a training course is PEFC-recognized, you can contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Make sure you sign up to our newsletter (at the bottom of this page) to ensure you get all the latest training news and dates, or follow us on Twitter.

Need to train multiple auditors?

If you need to train several auditors, reviewers and certification decision makers, you may want to take part in our Training Recognition Programme (TRP).

The TRP enables you to get PEFC recognition of your internal PEFC chain of custody training programme. This allows you to provide your personnel with PEFC approved training at a time that suits you.

Find out more about the Training Recognition Programme.

source: https://pefc.org/for-business/certification-and-accreditation-bodies/certification-body-training

How to offer certification for the 2020 PEFC standards

In January 2020, PEFC published the revised international standards for PEFC Chain of Custody (ST 2002), PEFC Trademarks (ST 2001) and Certification Body Requirements for Chain of Custody (ST 2003). These three standards entered into force on 14 February 2020, with an 24-month transition period.

Certification bodies need to ensure their practices are in line with the revised ST 2003:2020, and that they are accredited against both the revised ST 2002:2020 and ST 2001:2020, before they can offer PEFC chain of custody certification against the 2020 PEFC Chain of Custody standard. 

As the three standards are linked, the 2020 versions of these standards must be used together. An audit is either conducted against and according to the 2020 versions of the three revised standards, or against the three previous versions. 

For example:

  • Certification bodies can only certify against the 2020 Chain of Custody and Trademarks standards, if they do so according to the 2020 Certification Body Requirements standard.
  • A company can only use the 2020 Trademarks standard if they are certified against the 2020 PEFC Chain of Custody standard and the audit is conducted according to the 2020 Certification Body Requirements standard. 

 

Offering certification for the 2020 PEFC standards 

In order to gain accreditation for the 2020 PEFC Chain of Custody (ST 2002) and PEFC Trademarks (ST 2001) standards, your auditors, certification decision makers and reviewers need to attend a chain of custody training recognized by PEFC International. 

You also need to ensure your processes are in line with the requirements of the 2020 Certification Body Requirements standard (ST  2003).

You can find the PEFC recognized training schedule on our website. You can receive updates on the latest training opportunities by signing up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page or by following us on Twitter.

If your internal PEFC chain of custody training programme was recognized by PEFC through the PEFC Training Recognition Programme (TRP), you will need to get it recognized again before offering certification for the revised standards.

If you are interesting in participating in the TRP, either to renew your recognition or to apply for the first time, you can find more information on our website or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also sign up for the next scheduled PEFC TRP event.

For more information, please see the draft TRP guidelines.

After the transition date of 14 February 2022, no PEFC chain of custody certificates against the older version of the standard may be issued. From this date, companies certified against the older versions of the PEFC standards will have one year to adapt their systems to the 2020 versions. 

The 2020 standards and introductions to their changes

Certification Body Requirements:

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/662c02fc-e1a3-4d45-9755-c546bd645ad2/fda4062a-f875-546b-a650-d01ba3911662.pdf

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/635b959e-3065-4ae8-aaac-3a7d40bc0b9f/f5224e0c-3acb-5cac-a701-ecc0ad36f3ef.pdf

Chain of Custody:

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/aaae8a0f-0975-48f9-9ef2-c0b41f9aff3f/9fe878bd-f381-5951-b6ed-b2204ccc2cb0.pdf

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/66954288-f67f-4297-9912-5a62fcc50ddf/23621b7b-3a5d-55c9-be4d-4e6a5f61c789.pdf

PEFC Trademarks:

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/7c414b9b-43ab-4b07-9d83-ed3aa384303b/6443f822-2c03-58ce-a0ae-9e4867c07127.pdf

https://cdn.pefc.org/pefc.org/media/2020-02/d1ad5a21-0267-4db4-a41b-07fd577ffdea/3abf07e8-b7f9-5f42-ba2a-9ca608ee415f.pdf

source: https://pefc.org/for-business/certification-and-accreditation-bodies/how-to-offer-certification-for-the-revised-pefc-standards

 

 

Survei Pasar PEFC

Bapak/Ibu yang terhormat,

PEFC sedang melakukan survei singkat untuk memperoleh pemahaman yang lebih dalam tentang hal-hal yang relevan dan penting dalam bisnis Bapak/Ibu terkait dengan sertifikasi hutan. Hal ini akan membantu kami untuk lebih meningkatkan kepercayaan publik terhadap sistem dan pelayanan kami ke depannya.

Survei tersedia dalam 2 (dua) bahasa:

  1. Link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GY5S2CDuntuk Bahasa Inggris; dan
  2. Linkhttps://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GY5S2CD?lang=iduntuk Bahasa Indonesia.

 

Survei hanya akan memerlukan waktu sekitar 15 menit, dan respon Bapak/Ibu adalah sepenuhnya anonim.  

Survei ditutup pada hari Jumat, tanggal 31 Juli 2020.

Data anonim akan dibagikan dengan mitra PEFC dalam proyek ini, yaitu Hasan & Partners (Ltd), dan hanya digunakan untuk keperluan analisis data.

Apabila Bapak/Ibu memiliki pertanyaan mengenai survei ini, silakan menyampaikannya melalui email ke This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (dalam Bahasa Inggris).

Kami sangat menghargai masukan Bapak/Ibu.

Terima kasih banyak telah bersedia untuk berpartisipasi dalam survei ini. 

 

Take part in our survey LinkedIn 1

 

PEFC 20th anniversary: a year of celebrations

This time last year, PEFC celebrated its 20th anniversary. 30 June 2019 was the starting point for a year of special anniversary articles and videos about the history, development and future of our organization. One year later, as we turn 21, let’s look back over the last 12 months of celebrations!

On 30 June 1999, European small-forest owners came together to create an international forest certification system that had their needs at heart, and PEFC was born.

We began our celebrations by looking back at those very early days of our organization. We dug out some old photographs and highlighted the key milestones that have helped shape PEFC into what it is today – the world’s largest forest certification system.

Smallholders have always been at the heart of our work, and we have ensured that small- and family forest owners can benefit from certification. We developed group certification to make PEFC certification affordable and practical for smallholders. Throughout our 20 years, we have continued to innovate as we make sure that PEFC certification works for everybody.

In our year of celebrations we’ve also heard from small-forest owners themselves: Swedish forest owner Sven Erik Hammar spoke about smallholders and PEFC, while Riikka Joukio, a family forest owner and PEFC International Board member, looked back at 20 years of forest certification, and into a sustainable future.

How PEFC works

We know that it can be difficult to understand how PEFC exactly works. Our anniversary year gave us the perfect opportunity to explain: from how we are governed to who is responsible for developing our standards and how we ensure governance and standards development are kept separate and impartial.

Our members have also been involved. Andre Laroze from Certfor/PEFC Chile told us about the revision process of the Chilean Forest Management Standard, and MTCC, our national member for Malaysia, walked us through the development and revision of their national standard.

But it’s not just technical issues. We’ve seen how we use online communication campaigns to reach out to consumers with our message about the importance of forests, certification and sustainable forest management. 

We also carry out outreach to sectors that rely on forest-based products, promoting the importance of them procuring and working with certified timber - from construction and paper, to packaging, biomass, bamboo, rubber and furniture, even the fashion industry.

In conversation with Ben Gunneberg

Throughout our 20th year, we have heard from Ben Gunneberg, our CEO since the beginning of PEFC, as he has shared his memories a

Check out his first video in the series, reminiscing about the very first days of PEFC, below, and take a look at all the videos on our YouTube channel.

A celebratory PEFC Forest Certification Week

Once a year, the entire PEFC alliance gathers together for PEFC Week. In 2019, as we celebrated our anniversary, we went back to a significant place of our history: Würzburg, Germany, where one of our first meetings took place. 

The Würzburg meeting from 1999 proved to be a turning point in our history. 

It was the moment when everyone involved committed to the creation of PEFC: there was no turning back! 

20 years later, we were back to celebrate the achievements from 20 years of caring for forests globally and locally, welcoming 150 representatives from PEFC members from around the world, for the biggest PEFC Week ever.

One year of celebrations

With this article and with PEFC’s 21st anniversary, we are closing our year of celebrations.

If you’ve missed any of our 20th anniversary articles, you can find them all in one place in our news section. If you head to social media, search for the hashtag #20yearsofcaring to discover everything that the whole PEFC family has done over the past year – it has been a global celebration!

source: https://pefc.org/news/pefc-20th-anniversary-a-year-of-celebrations