Newsletter July 2017 Issue 45

Annual Stakeholder Day

THIS years Annual Stakeholder Day took place in London on the 4th
July. Its theme - Why Forests Matter was illustrated by a range of
speakers showing the importance of forests for rural development,
carbon sequestration and biodiversity. The event attracted a diverse
audience including retailers, brand owners, contractors, foresters
and PEFC-certified companies. The event, which has now become
the highlight of the PEFC UK year, was chaired by PEFC International
Chairman, Peter Latham. It featured speakers from Asia, North America,
Spain and the UK. Dr Melvin Gumal of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Left to right: Mark Johnston, Melvin Gumal,
Malaysia kicked off proceedings with a presentation on the WCS Ana Renfigo Abad, Peter Latham, Andrew Heald
programme in Endau-Rompin which explained conservation efforts to
protect iconic species such as the Sumatran tiger and the importance of
forest areas to provide habitat for both the tigers and their prey. Dehesas del Guijo farm belongs, with some 22,000 hectares of forestland
currently certified. Ana advised that certification has led to continuous
Melvin was followed by Dr Mark Johnston, from Canada, of the improvement of her farmland and had enabled her to place certified
Saskatchewan Research Council. Mark explained the key role that forests products such as cork and Iberico ham onto the market.
play in capturing carbon across North American woodlands, and revealed
the assessment his company is currently undertaking to assess the Concluding proceedings for the day, Confors Andrew Heald
carbon stocks and storage in wetland developments and SFI (Sustainable explained how sustainablity works from a UK forestry perspective,
Forestry Initiative) certified landscapes in Canada. A presentation from and highlighted the need for continued planting and protection of
Ana Rengifo Abbad from Spain, showcased the work that is being forestlands for future generations. Presentations from the event can be
undertaken by the forestry certification group to which her family-owned downloaded from the PEFC website: http://bit.ly/2tYtG8f

PEFC International Stakeholder Dialogue

THIS year, PEFCs international Stakeholder
Dialogue will be held in Helsinki. It will explore
the benefits and potential for incorporating
technology solutions into forest certification.
By bringing together diverse forest sector
representatives with cutting-edge technology
providers and innovators, the 2017 event will
provide a unique opportunity to exchange
views on whats required, whats working and
where there are opportunities for scaling up
application. The two-day event will combine
one day in a conference setting with a one
day field trip
to facilitate
optimal
exchange, demonstration and in-depth
discussion on the topic. To find out more about
this event visit treee.es/RegPEFCSD2017

Click on the link: www.pefc.co.uk info@.pefc.co.uk PEFCUK @PEFC_UK pefcinternational

PEFC UK 2017 Annual General Meeting
management schemes in Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Japan have
been endorsed while an Indian scheme is currently in development.

PEFCs progress in Asia demonstrates that there is a now a real

appetite for the bottom up, mutual recognition certification model
that PEFC offers around the globe. There are now 46 national
members of PEFC Council with 39 endorsed national certification
systems gathered together under the PEFC umbrella.

As a result, more than 300 million

PEFC UK hectares of forest are now managed in
ANNUAL REPORT compliance with PEFCs internationally
accepted Sustainability Benchmarks
thats roughly the size of Egypt, South
Africa and Turkey combined.

As the certified forest area grows, so to

Ross Bradshaw
EARLIER this month, PEFC UK held its 16th Annual General
Meeting in London. Chairman Ross Bradshaw reported
on progress both at home and abroad. He noted that the year had
seen encouraging progress in Asia with an increasing number of
countries developing forest management schemes with the aim of
eventually being accepted by PEFC. National forest sustainable forest
does the number of companies seeking
to become Chain of Custody certified.
Almost 19,000 certified companies are
currently trading in PEFC-certified forest
products around the world.
Further information can be found in our 2017 Annual Report. It can be
downloaded from the website at: http://bit.ly/2tOopgD or printed
copies can be requested by e-mailing info@pefc.co.uk

Winner of PEFC Photo Contest

WE were delighted with the number and quality of entries
to our recent photographic competition on the theme of
Experience Forests, Experience PEFC. The contest was
designed to raise awareness of the importance of our forests.

The competition which ran from Earth Day on 22 April and

closed on World Environment Day on 5th June, attracted
more than 300 entries.

We are pleased to announce that the winning photograph

was snapped by Andrew Clayborough from Otley, West
Yorkshire. His picture has now gone forward to the
international competition to select a worldwide winner.

Click on the link: www.pefc.co.uk info@.pefc.co.uk PEFCUK @PEFC_UK pefcinternational

 Annual Field Trip London Build 2017

IN OCTOBER, we will be exhibiting in the

IN MAY, we returned to Hexham,
Northumberland for our annual field trip.
The event aimed to demonstrate sustainable
forest management in action to more than
twenty stakeholders from a broad range of
sectors including timber trading, construction,
retail, paper and packaging. It has now become
a regular highlight of the PEFC UK year.
The group visited a certified forest site
managed by Egger Winnows Hill - to
learn more about what sustainable forest
management entails. On the second day,
participants had a choice of site visits Eggers
Hexham manufacturing plant for those from
the timber and construction industries while
those working in the paper, packaging and
retail sectors were guests of SCA Hygiene at
Prudhoe.
The annual field trip is designed to showcase
sustainable forest management, illustrate
in a practical way what Chain of Custody
certification involves and demonstrate the
rigorous processes involved in bringing
certified forest products to market.
Sustainability Zone at London Build 2017. PEFC
UKs Executive Director Alun Watkins will also
be speaking at a sustainability workshop.
Now in its third year, London Build is the
UKs largest construction expo dedicated
entirely to opportunities in London and the
South of England. We are participating in
this show to promote PEFC-certified timber
amongst contractors, developers, architects
and their clients.
If you are planning to visit the show, please
stop by and see us in the Sustainability Zone.

Sustainable Packaging
Brand owners choice of folding cartons as the
most sustainable packaging format was based on
the products ability to meet a combination of key
environmental considerations, including that they can be
made from renewable forestry and PEFC/FSC certified
resources.

In other key findings, 96% of respondents considered

IN A recent Pro Carton report The Importance of Sustainability in
Packaging folding cartons were viewed as the most sustainable
packaging format. The study, which aimed to investigate attitudes
of major European brand owners and retailers on sustainability in
packaging, was conducted by Smithers Pira in Germany, UK, France,
Italy and Spain.
sustainable packaging to be important to their business
and 62% expect a growing need for sustainability in
packaging. Respondents considered that this growth in demand for
sustainable packaging was being driven by rising consumer awareness
and government and local authority procurement policies.
The complete study can be found on the Pro Carton website:
www.procarton.com/publications-news/publications/

Click on the link: www.pefc.co.uk info@.pefc.co.uk PEFCUK @PEFC_UK pefcinternational

Soil Association Training
Excellence for Forest Certification
Responsible Forest Management and Sustainable Forest
Product Supply Chains supported by Forest Certification

11 day policy and practice course

Next day course running from 23rd October to 3rd November 2017
Bursaries available to support attendance

For more info, please visit:

https://www.soilassociation.org/forestry/training

SOIL Association Forestry has recently
announced a new training course - its
Excellence for Forest Certification
programme. Developed in conjunction with
the ASTRAcademy, the course is designed to
enable delegates to improve their knowledge
and understanding of responsible forest
management and sustainable forest product
supply chains. It is an 11-day course which
covers a range of topics, encompassing both
policy and the development of practical skills.
The course is open to policy makers, NGOs,
forest managers and supply chain professionals.
Generously funded by the Richard Shuttleworth
Remembrance Trust, there are bursaries
available to support participation, which will be
assessed on application. More information, can
be found at http://bit.ly/2tL1IM0
or contact the Course Director, Clive Thomas at
forestrytraining@soilassociation.org.

Autumn 2017 Stakeholder Meet PEFC UK

Seminars PEFC UK Stakeholder Seminar PEFC UK Stakeholder Seminar
11th October 2017 17th October 2017
KEY personnel from certified companies such as Chain of Custody London Peterborough
administrators, marketing and sales are invited to take part in one of http://bit.ly/2tKd4Q9 http://bit.ly/2tKd4Q9
two workshops we will be hosting in October. The first will be held in
London on Wednesday 11th October and the second in Peterborough on London Build PEFC International
Tuesday 17th October. 25-26 October 2017 Stakeholder Dialogue
Olympia Exhibition Centre, 16-17 November 2017
These half day seminars will cover a range of topics including Sustainable London Finland
Forest Management, Chain of Custody certification, the use of the PEFC http://bit.ly/1xknmCZ http://bit.ly/2tYtG8f
label and the market drivers for certified forest products. They are free to
attend but places are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come,
first served basis so early registration is recommended. Further details
can be found at: http://bit.ly/2tKd4Q9.

ALUN WATKINS HILARY KHAWAM

PEFC UK Executive Director PEFC UK Communications & Marketing Director
awatkins@pefc.co.uk / 0114 307 2334 hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk / 01689 819902
Please call Alun for all general enquiries and queries about Chain of Custody and use of the PEFC logo.

Click on the link: www.pefc.co.uk info@.pefc.co.uk PEFCUK @PEFC_UK pefcinternational