PEFC /16-01-01
PEFCUK NEWS WWW.PEFC.CO.UK
ISSUE 26 JULY 2012
INAUGURAL STAKEHOLDER EVENT With the introduction of EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) just months away, PEFC hosted a Stakeholder Meeting in London on 26 June, with the central theme of mitigating risk in procuring forest products.
The first in what we hope will be an annual opportunity for the sustainable products community to come together to discuss key industry issues, saw a panel of industry experts spanning the timber, business consultancy, print,
Sarah price PEFC International
publishing and retailing sectors share their experiences and knowledge. Coming into effect in March 2013, the
EUTR will impact everyone trading in timber and timber products in the EU, including paper, packaging, furniture and wood fuel sectors. It will apply to all Member States and will make it illegal to place timber and timber products which have been illegallyharvested at the point of origin, onto the EU market. Rachel Butler from the European Timber Trade Federation had a simple and clear message for the audience – know your obligations. If you are an operator or ‘first placer’ of the timber
product onto the EU marketplace, it is crucial to remember that whilst certification and Chain of Custody is vitally important, the overriding factor and “key to implementation” is to exercise Due Diligence in your procurement methods.
are increasingly demanding this as a prerequisite to doing business. This was echoed by B&Q’s Julia Griffin, who said that traceability is increasingly being asked for by customers and as such they have a huge responsibility under the EUTR.
PEFC is in the process of revising its international Chain of Custody standard, to support certified companies in meeting EUTR requirements and Sarah Price from PEFC International, put the EUTR into the context of protecting corporate reputation; explaining how responsible sourcing and sustainability should be at the heart of all procurement policies. Consumers and customers
To download the presentations visit: www.pefc.co.uk and follow the links from the home page.
WHAT’S BEING UNCORKED ON PAGE 2 ? 2
PEFC CHAIRMAN HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD Last month, PEFC International Chairman, William Street, was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award for his efforts on behalf of IKEA’s workers in Danville Virginia, USA.
SECOND YEAR AT TIMBER EXPO In September, PEFC UK will once again partner with fellow PEFC
The award is bestowed by an independent NGO, American Rights at Work and recognises those who advance human rights for workers. Bill shared the award with Per-Olof Sjöö, President of the Swedish Union, GS.
family members, the Malaysian
“PEFC is honoured that our Chair has received this recognition,” commented PEFC Secretary General, Ben Gunneberg. “It comes as no surprise to us who work with Bill on a regular basis. During his term as Chairman we have strengthened and clarified some of our fundamental core values relating to the social aspects of
This show aims to promote timber as a key material to help deliver an attractive and sustainable built environment. Last year,
Timber Council (MTC) and the North American Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to exhibit at the UK’s only dedicated timber show – Timber Expo.
sustainable forest management. Today, we believe that PEFC is a leader in social standards in forest management certification as a result of Bill’s support and guidance.”
PEFC CERTIFIED CORK STOPPERS The range of PEFC-certified products on the global market continues to grow. Later this year, wine using PEFC-certified cork stoppers will go on sale in Europe, the Americas and Australia. In the UK, Bibendum will be selling Geol 2008 towards the end of 2012. Cork is a natural product from the bark of the cork oak tree - Quercus Suber. The majority of today’s global natural cork production is based in the Mediterranean region, principally in southern Portugal, Spain, France and North Africa. More than 12 billion natural cork seals are produced every year which placed end to end would circumnavigate the world eleven times over. The traditional production of natural cork is an environmentally sound process which supports the preservation of grassland forest,
Mediterranean biodiversity, small-scale agriculture, rural livelihoods and fastdisappearing cultural traditions. In recognition of the vital functions that cork oak forests perform, PEFC Spain is working with a range of partners to promote certified cork. For further information about this programme contact: pefc@pefc.es.
over 4,000 visitors including architects, specifiers and major contractors made their way to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena for the twoday show and more than 100 companies exhibited. We hope this year’s show will provide PEFC UK with a platform to engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders from across the timber and construction sectors. The show, from 25-26 September 2012, will be held at the Ricoh Arena Coventry. If you are planning to visit the show, you can find us on Stand H1. For more information visit www.timber-expo.co.uk
DRUPA 2012 In May, Alun Watkins, who heads up PEFC in the UK, joined colleagues from across Europe to exhibit at Drupa, the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world. The show is held once every four years in Düsseldorf. This year’s event attracted thousands of visitors from 140 countries and 2,000 exhibitors from 54 countries. Located in the Lean and Green area, the PEFC stand served as a central point of information for the print and graphics sector on sourcing sustainable paper. The international PEFC team was kept busy engaging with visitors from around the world keen to learn more about the benefits of using certified paper to provide assurances of responsible sourcing to their customers.
RE-ENDORSEMENT OF FOREST MANAGEMENT SCHEME PEFC UK has applied for re-endorsement of its Forest Management Scheme, as required by PEFC International, after five years. The UK scheme is based upon the UK Woodland Assurance Standard which was itself recently reviewed and updated. The initiative to develop forest certification in the UK in the early 1990s led to the publication of two national documents namely, the United Kingdom Forestry Standard (the Government’s Approach to Sustainable Forestry), which was revised in 2011 and the Forest Management Certification Standard, which is known as the United Kingdom Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS). UKWAS has recently completed its own five yearly revision process. UKWAS is an independent certification standard
for verifying sustainable woodland management. It is the national certification standard used by both PEFC and FSC in the UK and it was developed on a consensus basis through an inclusive multi-stakeholder process with a balanced representation of economic, environmental and social interests, over a three year period. The third edition of UKWAS has been agreed by stakeholders and was endorsed by PEFC UK in November last year. The latest edition (UKWAS v 3.1) has been developed via a review process including international
benchmarking and several rounds of stakeholder consultation. Full account has been taken of the new governmental UK Forestry Standard’s requirements and those of FSC and PEFC. Both global schemes provide a way for the UK forestry sector to assure buyers and users that its wood and wood products come from responsibly- managed woodlands. 45% of the UK’s woodland area and an estimated 85% of harvested timber is certified through one or both of these schemes. The UK Scheme which is based on UKWAS also incorporates the requirements of the updated PEFC Council’s Sustainable Forest Management Standard and the Chain of Custody Standard. PEFC UK welcomes the chance to further improve its scheme and welcomes comments which may arise from the worldwide consultation process. Stakeholders globally are invited to comment on its compliance with PEFC International’s Sustainability Benchmarks by 2 September 2012. http://consultations. pefc.org/consult.ti/PEFCUKsystem
OUR 2012 REPORT TAKE A LOOK The 2012 Annual Report was published in May. It contains reviews of our marketing, communications and public P EF C U K affairs activities over the past year as AN NU AL RE PO RT well as Peter Latham’s final report as Chairman. After five years of dedicated service, Peter has now joined the Board of PEFC International. The publication also contains facts and figures outlining the growth in demand for forest and Chain of Custody certification both in the UK and around the world as well as reports on procurement and the dual certification of the Olympic Park. It can be downloaded from the PEFC UK website at: PEFC /16-01-01
www.pefc.co.uk/index.php/news-page/news/news-detail/item/267-annual-report-2012
Printed copies can be requested by emailing info@pefc.co.uk
FITTER THAN THE AVERAGE DIRECTOR
MEET PEFC Timber Expo 2012 25-26 September 2012 Ricoh Arena, Coventry For further details visit: www.timber-expo.co.uk PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue 14 November 2012 Vienna, Austria For further details email info@pefc.org Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 21 8-9 January 2013 Chatham House, 10St James’s Square, London SW1 For further details visit: www.illegal-logging.info Ecobuild 2013 5-7 March 2013 Excel, London For further details visit www.ecobuild.co.uk
CONTACTS
In warm April sunshine, PEFC Director Rob Shaw completed his fourth London Marathon. A member of the Highland Hill Runners club, Rob finished the course in a creditable 4hrs 4 minutes. This brings his overall road marathon tally to twelve. The Marathon provided useful training for the just completed Geneva to Nice Highland Cross and Cycling event. Well done Rob!
Alun Watkins PEFC UK National Secretary e awatkins@pefc.co.uk t 0114 307 2334 For all general enquiries and queries about chain of custody, use of the PEFC logo Hilary Khawam PEFC Communications Director e hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk t 01689 819902 Marketing and communications enquiries