Sustainable Forest Management public consultation over

12 July 2018 Sustainable Forest Management

We received close to 600 comments during the 60-day global public consultation on our revised sustainable forest management benchmark. The Working Group responsible for revising this document will now consider all the comments at their next meeting on 25-27 July.

An essential step…

The global public consultation is an essential part of the PEFC standards setting process.

Up to this point, a multi-stakeholder group (known as the working group) has developed the document. For our sustainable forest management benchmark, this includes civil society representatives, forest owner associations and PEFC members, to name a few.

The public consultation is when we share the work done by the working group with the rest of the world. This is important for gaining additional feedback and insights. No matter where they live, stakeholders can give their input and share their knowledge, helping to shape this vital benchmark.

Why is this so important?

The PEFC Sustainable Forest Management benchmark is at the core of what we do. It provides the basis for the requirements that forest owners or managers must meet to achieve PEFC certification at local level.

We must therefore ensure that it continues to meet the demands and expectations – now and in the future. This is why we revise it regularly, ensuring that everybody affected is invited to take part in the process.

The revised benchmark at a glance

This new benchmark extends the impact of PEFC certification beyond forests and enhances its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We have expanded the social requirements to include minimum wages for forest workers, equal opportunities for employment and non-discrimination, and promote gender equality. There are also enhanced provisions designed to safeguard the interests of indigenous peoples.

With the inclusion of Trees outside Forests (ToF), PEFC certification will become accessible to the millions of farmers and smallholders that do not own or manage forests, but rather trees on agricultural or settlement land that are currently outside the scope of certification.

To find out more, take a look at the revision documentation:

You can also listen to our recent online webinars about the Sustainable Forest Management standard and Trees outside Forests.