European Forest Industry Plans Forest Certification
11/7/98
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Title: European Forest Industry Plans Forest Certification
Source: Julio Cesar Centeno
Status: Contact source for reprint permissions
Date: 11/7/98
European forest industry representatives have backed the development of
a Pan-European forest certification framework to rival the Forest
Stewardship Council's scheme, which is said to favour large companies.
The initiative is intended to lead to an alternative label, based on a
set of environmental criteria, independent third-party certification and
verification of the chain of custody.
The first step will be to promote national and regional certification
initiatives across Europe, such as the one recently launched in Finland.
The pan-European scheme is expected to go ahead late next year.
Forest groups from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have
pledged their support.
Project co-ordinator Martin Strittmatter of the German Forestry Council
said he hoped that eventually the label would be global. He also
suggested that it should be able to co-exist with the FSC label. 'We
just want to put something different on the market,' he said.
Julio Cesar Centeno, PhD
Las Tapias, Edif. Carreto
Pent House Tel: +58-74-714576
PO Box 750 Fax: +58-74-714576 / 713814
Merida - Venezuela
JCenteno@telcel.net.ve
JCenteno@ula.ve
http://www.ciens.ula.ve/~jcenteno/