Washington D.C. and Ottawa ON — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) announced today that its 2022 Chain of Custody Standard has met the rigorous third-party assessment of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). PEFC is an international organization that endorses national forest certification systems developed collaboratively by diverse stakeholders, tailored to local priorities and conditions. Organizations certified to SFI’s 2022 Chain of Custody standard can now apply the PEFC on-product label and make PEFC claims, giving them more options to meet customer demand around the world.
“SFI makes important contributions that address the needs of North America’s forests and communities and is a valuable national member working with PEFC to elevate the role of sustainable forestry,” said Dr. Michael Berger, Acting Secretary General of PEFC. “Only chain of custody certification standards that meet our rigorous criteria and that are developed in an open, transparent manner through a multi-stakeholder process are endorsed by PEFC.”
The SFI 2022 Chain of Custody Standard was endorsed by PEFC after a 60-day international public consultation period and a detailed examination that included a third-party assessment by an independent assessor.
“We are extremely proud that PEFC International has endorsed our 2022 Chain of Custody Standard,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI. “Thanks to this endorsement, customers across North America and around the world will be even more confident that products bearing the SFI Chain of Custody label come from well-managed, sustainable forests.”
There are over 600 organizations certified to SFI’s Chain of Custody standard, and SFI-certified products are sold in more than 120 countries around the world.
SFI will conduct an information session about the benefits of PEFC endorsement on June 15 at the 2022 SFI Annual Conference in Madison, WI. Interested organizations are encouraged to attend.
ABOUT SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.
MEDIA CONTACT
Christine Leduc
VP, Communications and Government Relations
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
613-706-1114
media@forests.org
About Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifications (PEFC)
PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems. More than 330 million hectares of forests are certified to PEFC’s internationally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks, supplying more than 20,000 Chain of Custody certified companies with responsibly sourced timber and wood-based products. For more information, please visit www.pefc.org.
