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PEFCUK NEWS
WWW.PEFC.CO.UK ISSUE 32 APRIL 2014

SOFT COMMODITIES COMPACT ADDS WEIGHT TO HELP END DEFORESTATION

The Soft Commodities Compact was launched earlier this month by the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) and the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF).
In 2010, the CGF Board of Directors committed its 400 members, with a combined procurement power of over $3 trillion, to achieving zero net deforestation in their supply chains by 2020. The Soft Commodities Compact is the result of two years of extensive collaboration between the BEI and the CGF, with advice from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), to establish how the banking industry could best support this goal. The BEI currently counts ten international banks as members, headquartered across Asia, Europe and North America: Barclays, BNY Mellon, China Construction Bank, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, Nomura, Northern Trust, Santander, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Westpac. A range of BEI and non-BEI banks have been involved in the development of the Soft Commodities Compact and the CGF and BEI are both actively encouraging all international and regional banks to join these rst movers. To date, six banks have conrmed that they will adopt the Soft Commodities Compact - Barclays, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Westpac. The Compact includes a commitment for banks, where needed, to raise the standards they expect of certain clients in high risk locations so that they are encouraged to improve their sustainability performance in line with CGF expectations through to 2020. To achieve this, Compact banks will conrm that customer operations have achieved the same internationallyrecognised means of verication that the CGF is prioritising. For timber products, the starting point includes forest certication systems such as PEFCs. The Compact demonstrates both an awareness of, and commitment to, sustainability within the banking sector and has huge potential to transform the way commodities such as palm oil, soy and timber are produced and processed.

The Wood Awards see page 2

For further information visit www.cpsl.cam.ac.uk/Business-Platforms/Banking-Environment-Initiative.aspx

DECC INTRODUCE NEW BIOMASS CRITERIA

THE WOOD AWARDS

The Bishop Edward King Chapel, 2013 Gold Award Winner

Biomass heat is set to play an increasingly large role in the UKs energy mix, and from Autumn 2014 new sustainability criteria will be introduced for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to ensure installations using biomass fuel meet the Governments environmental objectives. This will affect domestic and non-domestic RHI participants and suppliers (both producers of fuel and traders selling to the end customer). The new criteria will be introduced in two stages; from Autumn 2014, biomass fuel used by RHI participants must meet a lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target, and from Spring 2015, biomass fuel must meet land criteria - either the UK Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity for woodfuel or the Renewable Energy Directive for other types of biomass. One of the ways in which woodfuel can meet the Timber Standard is through the use of robust independent forest certication schemes such as PEFC. The Department of Energy and Climate Change is developing a new, light touch way for operators claiming the RHI to comply with the criteria they will be able to buy fuel from the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL), a publically available list of suppliers selling fuel that meets the criteria. The BSL will provide a means for woodfuel producers and traders selling sustainable fuel to access the growing RHI market, and with an easy, online applications process, will be accessible for all sizes of business. The BSL is expected to launch on Gov.uk later this Spring for suppliers to register. Producers and traders of woodfuel who wish to access the RHI market should register for the BSL online as soon as it is launched. BSL traders contact details will be available for customers to search and access. For more information on the new sustainability criteria please visit the DECC RHI website.

This year PEFC, in partnership with the Malaysian Timber Council, will be a key sponsor of the Wood Awards. The Wood Awards is the UKs premier award scheme recognising excellence across a range of areas using timber in architecture, building design and furniture.

The Wood Awards recognise, encourage and promote outstanding design, craftsmanship and installation using wood throughout the UK and has an ever-growing credibility within the design community. With permission from the owner, anyone associated with an eligible building or piece of furniture can enter, as long as it has not been entered before and has been completed in the last two years. The Awards are free to enter and entries can be submitted until 16th May 2014. The main categories for the Wood Awards 2014 are: Buildings, Commercial and public access, Private, Small project, Structural, Repair and adaptive reuse, Furniture, Bespoke furniture, and Production-made furniture.

An independent judging panel of professional experts and specialists judge the submitted entries and also visit the shortlisted projects in person, making the Wood Awards as meaningful and rigorous a competition as possible. The top accolade the Gold Award goes to the overall winner of winners. Previous Gold Award winners include the Savill Building by Glenn Howell Architects, David Morleys Hurlingham Club Outdoor Pool, the Rothschild Foundation by Stephen Marshall Architects and in 2013 the Bishop Edward King Chapel by Niall McLaughlin Architects (pictured above). PEFC is proud to be associated with these prestigious awards which recognise a wide range of projects and products using responsibly-sourced timber.

CHINESE SFM SCHEME ENDORSED UKWAS REVIEW

Last month, the Chinese Forest Certication Scheme became the second Asian national forest certication system, after Malaysia, to successfully achieve PEFC endorsement. China voluntarily sought PEFC endorsement for its national scheme in order to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable forest management.
Forests in Asia are critically important. They play a signicant role in providing a variety of services that millions of people depend upon for their livelihoods and social stability. They also contain most of the Asia-Pacic regions terrestrial biodiversity. Additionally, given the growing importance of the regional economy, Asia has a strong inuence on the environmental sustainability of international forest products. This makes it vital to build supply chain capacity and increase the availability of certied timber across this region. Interest in sustainable forest management certication is increasing rapidly in the region The Indonesian Forestry Certication Cooperative (IFCC) submitted its national system for endorsement at the end of 2013. At the last PEFC General Assembly, delegates from eleven countries participated in a sustainable forest management system development workshop. This included representatives from India, Japan, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. A new publication is available from PEFC Asian Certied Timber: Advancing Sustainable Trade in Asia. Please e-mail info@pefc.co.uk if you would like a copy. The UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) is a certication standard which sets out the requirements which woodland owners, managers and certication authorities can use to certify woodland management in the United Kingdom. The standard is the product of an inclusive and transparent process which has involved a balanced representation from the UK forestry and environmental communities. Thisstandard is endorsed by PEFC International and forms the basis of the PEFC UK Forest Certication Scheme. The ve-yearly review process for UKWAS 3.1 is about to commence. If any stakeholders wish to become involved or contribute to this review please contact Alun Watkins awatkins@pefc.co.uk.

Advancing Sustainable Trade in Asia

D E I F I T CER

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ANNUAL STAKEHOLDER DAY

As Asian countries are important suppliers of timber products to the UK market, this years PEFC Annual Stakeholder Meeting will focus on Asia. A panel of knowledgeable speakers from a range of sectors has been assembled to share their experiences. Speakers conrmed to date are Sheam SatkuruGranzella who heads up the Malaysian Timber Council in Europe, Andy Dufn from Lathams, a leading timber importer from Asia and a speaker from the Chinese Forest Certication Scheme. Additionally, Michael Buckley, a world-renowned forest industry consultant, based in Singapore, will speak on Chinas inuence of global trading and consumption of wood, while PEFCs Sarah Price, will bring delegates up to date with the organisations progress in Asia. The afternoon will conclude with a moderated panel session and drinks reception. Free to attend and open to all stakeholders, the meeting will be chaired by John White, Chief Executive of the Timber Trade Federation. The event will start at 2.15 p.m. on Tuesday 1st July at the NCVO ofces in Kings Cross. Further details will be up on the UK website shortly but places are strictly limited so if youd like to reserve your place now, please e-mail hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk

NOTICE
PEFC 2014 Annual General Meeting
All members of PEFC UK will shortly be receiving an invitation to the 13th Annual General Meeting which will be held at the ofces of The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RL on Tuesday 1 July at 11.30 am

ECOBUILD 2014
Last month, PEFC UK partnered with fellow members of PEFCs global network, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) to exhibit at Ecobuild 2014. Participating in the worlds biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment enabled us to promote and educate visitors on a wide range of issues surrounding the supply of legal and sustainable timber into the UK market. This year PEFC UK was promoting Project Certication, a specic form of Chain of

CERTIFIED TIMBER FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Custody certication for one-off short term projects involving different, smaller, uncertied contractors. The London Olympic Park was Project-Certied in 2012 and more recently, Kingsgate House, a seven-storey residential project in West London became the rst major construction project in the world to achieve PEFC Project Certication. The show provided us with opportunities to engage with a broad range of stakeholders from across the timber and construction industry.

MEET PEFC
Solid Wood Construction Tuesday 3rd June 2014 NEC, Birmingham Contact amy.pryce@radarcommunications.co.uk PEFC UK 2014 Annual General Meeting Tuesday 1st July 2014 London Contact hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk PEFC UK Annual Stakeholder Day 2014 Tuesday 1st July 2014 London Contact hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk Wood Awards 2014 Awards Ceremony September 2014 Carpenters Hall, London Contact lucy@charactercomms.com

Left to right: Sheam Satkuru-Granzella, Malaysian Timber Council; Nurdin Daudah, Business Development Manager, Matrade London; Alun Watkins, PEFC UK; Emeliana Zainol, Assistant Trade Commissioner; Khairul Nizam Moonier, Trade Commissioner; Eva Lamorgese, Malaysian Timber Council

NEW PUBLICATIONS
Two new publications are now available free of charge from PEFC. The rst, Why Labels Matter sets out the business case for using the PEFC label on certied products. The second, a folder containing various case studies of PEFC certied projects is designed to promote project certication PEFC Project Certication Bringing the Highest Assurances of Sustainability to Your Construction scheme. Both publications can be downloaded from the website but if youd like hard copies please e-mail info@pefc.co.uk.

Packaging Innovations/Luxury Packaging Show 30 September-1 October 2014 Business Design Centre, London Contact marc.benoit@easyfairs.com Timber in Construction Awards Dinner 6 November 2014 Contact terry.hanlon@excelpublishing.co.uk

CONTACTS
Alun Watkins PEFC UK National Secretary e awatkins@pefc.co.uk t 0114 307 2334 Please call Alun for all general enquiries and queries about Chain of Custody and use of the PEFC logo. Hilary Khawam PEFC Communications Director e hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk t 01689 819902

PEFC PROJECT CERTIFICATION

BRINGING THE HIGHEST ASSURANCES OF SUSTAINABILITY TO YOUR CONSTRUCTION SCHEME

WHY LABELS MATTER:

THE BUSINESS CASE
FOR USING THE PEFC LABEL

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