responsible procurement of wood-based

materials from sustainably managed forests

why you
need a
chain of
custody

PEFC/01-00-01
The challenge
Consumers in growing numbers are seeking evidence of environmentally sound business practices. Public
authorities and corporate procurement policies increasingly demand reassurance and proof from the paper
and wood-processing industries that the wood they use for their products comes from sustainably managed
forests. It is generally agreed that wood-based products have a better overall environmental record than
competitor materials, but questions have arisen about the management of the forests from which the wood
originates. Businesses therefore need a reliable and credible mechanism to prove to their customers where
the wood for their products has come from.

What is certification? Tracking system options for

Evidence that wood comes from
sustainably managed forests can be
provided through forest certification.
Forest certification covers
Sustainable Forest Management
certification of forest enterprises
and Chain of Custody certification of
processing or trading companies.
Sustainable Forest Management
certification provides an assurance
that the forests are managed
sustainably. Sustainably managed
forests are those whose management
implements performance standards
based on internationally agreed
environmental, social and economical
requirements.
Chain of custody certification is
a mechanism for tracing certified
material from the forest to the final
product to provide certainty that the
product or product line, about which
a claim is being made, is linked to a
certified forest
certified material
The forest-based product’s origin can be traced in different
ways, tailored to the situation and needs of the certified
company: by using the so-called percentage based
method or by physical separation of certified wood, paper
or other forest-based products.
• The Percentage based method allows mixing certified
and non-certified raw material during the production or
trading process. However the percentage of the certified
raw material must be known and communicated
to the company’s customers (average percentage).
Alternatively, the company can sell as certified the
proportion of its production which equals the percentage
of certified raw material used (volume credit).
• The Physical separation method requires separating
certified and non-certified raw material during all phases
of the company’s production / trading process to ensure
that certified raw material is not mixed with non-certified
raw material. When the physical separation method is
used for products with percentage based claims, every
delivery must be processed or traded separately.
Details are provided in the PEFC International Chain of
Custody Standard (Annex 4 of the Technical Document) at
www.pefc.org.

Percentage based method Physical separation method

% wood certified
% wood from certified sources
% wood from non-certified sources
Communicating with customers
PEFC logo options for
certified products
Depending on the tracking method
used and the percentage of certified
raw material, the company has different
options to label its certified products.
To be able to label a certified product, a
minimum content of 70% of PEFC certified
material is necessary in the product. In the
case of recycled material in the product,
the percentage of the recycled part is
stated inside the Mobius loop symbol and
together with the certified part is counted
to fulfil the 70% threshold for labelling.
The different options may be accompanied
by option specific claims.
Details of PEFC’s Logo Usage Rules are
provided in the Annex 5 of the PEFC
Technical Document at www.pefc.org.
PEFC/00-00-00
Forest Certificate Chain of Custody Chain of Custody Chain of Custody Chain of Custody
Physical separation Percentage based Recycled Material
PEFC/01-00-01 PEFC/01-00-01 PEFC/01-00-01
From sustainably Promoting sustainable Promoting sustainable forest
managed forests forest management management & recycling
For more info: For more info: For more info: www.pefc.org
www.pefc.org www.pefc.org
Safeguards against timber from illegal
logging
To help timber and paper companies prevent wood from controversial
sources (illegal logging) finding its way into their products, PEFC
has put in place a stringent safeguard mechanism for the Avoidance
of raw material from Controversial Sources. The mechanism is a
compulsory part of PEFC’s Chain of Custody standard and puts in place
safety checks such as risk analyses, external assessments and on-
site inspections, to ensure the legality of the uncertified wood. These
safeguard checks are scrutinized by the independent certifiers during
their annual audits and thus provide companies with a ‘double safety
net’ for their procurement. Details are laid out in the PEFC International
Chain of Custody Standard (Annex 4), Appendix 7 at www.pefc.org.
Non-wood forest products
PEFC offers an option for Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP) in
its International Chain of Custody standard. This allows companies
to market products, such as berries and mushrooms, which come
from PEFC certified forests, with the PEFC logo. Certified NWFP do
not include forest related services (e.g. tourism and sports), nor are
tangible or non tangible products and raw materials, whose origin
cannot be linked to a specific forest property (e.g. animals, birds, air
and water) able to be marketed under this option. NWFP are controlled
through PEFC’s International Chain of Custody standard. Details
are provided in the PEFC International Chain of Custody Standard
(Annex 4), Appendix 8 at www.pefc.org.
The logo can be used optionally, on or off
product, under licence from PEFC. PEFC
certified companies wanting to use the
PEFC logo should contact their national
PEFC/00-00-00 PEFC/00-00-00
PEFC office, and in countries without
a PEFC member organisation, the PEFC
Council directly.
Certified forests are the start of the wood
chain and each subsequent enterprise
must have a chain of custody certificate to
allow forest-based products to be traced
from the forest to the finished product.
 The benefits of a certified chain
of custody
Certified tracking of the wood flow offers wood and
paper processing enterprises, business-to-business
suppliers as ­well as customers, printers, manufactures,
retailers and traders a wide range of business bonuses.
A PEFC Chain of Custody certification can provide:
• Market Advantages and Opportunities: an improved
access to the markets, as an increasing number of
customers specify wood from certified sources only
and, in some markets, demand is outstripping supply.
• Safe Sourcing and Transparency: companies have an
assurance against timber and paper products from
illegal logging reaching their business.
• Customer Communication and Promotion: companies
can demonstrate their Corporate Social Responsibility,
improve the image of the wood-processing sector and
promote the use of certified paper and forest-based
products.
• EnhancedEfficiency: an audited wood flow accounting
system can improve the internal efficiency of a
company and be integrated into its environmental
and/or quality management and controlling systems.
Where to find PEFC certified
companies as well as paper
and timber products?
PEFC has a fully interactive database at www.pefc.org
where information can be found on any PEFC certificate
or logo licence number in every PEFC-endorsed scheme.
Photography courtesy of Finnforest Corporation, BIOSA, UPM- Kymmene Corporation, CTBA.
The database furthermore lists all PEFC accredited
certifiers for all countries and types of certifications.
National PEFC databases have been developed where
consumers and customers can search for PEFC
certified products and links are also available at the
PEFC Council website.
PEFC is a framework for the assessment and
endorsement of national forest certification systems
which have been developed based on internationally
recognised requirements for sustainable forest
management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has
become the world’s largest forest certification umbrella
Printed on PEFC certified paper.
organisation covering national systems from all over
the world, delivering hundreds of millions of tonnes
of wood to the processing industry and then onto the
market place from hundreds of millions of hectares of
certified forests. PEFC has strong grass roots support
from many stakeholders including the forestry sector,
governments, trade associations, trade unions and
non-governmental organisations.
How can I get involved?
Wood-processing enterprises, retailers,
printers, manufacturers, traders,
wholesalers or stockists – you may wish
to get your product flow certified. Once
PEFC certified, you can apply to use the
PEFC logo for both on and off product
communications and marketing. To find
PEFC accredited certifiers for chain of
custody certification in your country,
see the section for PEFC Notified
Certification Bodies at the PEFC Council
Interactive Database at www.pefc.org.
For chain of custody certifications
in countries without a PEFC national
office, select “PEFC Council” in the
search field. For more details on how to
become PEFC certified and how to use
the PEFC logo, contact your national
PEFC office or the PEFC Council.
End-customer/consumer – purchase
PEFC certified products or ask to see
the chain of custody certificate to be
sure that you are contributing to the
sustainable management of the world’s
forests.
Woodland owner – you may want to
obtain a PEFC certificate for your own
forest. To do so, contact your national
PEFC endorsed certification system
and PEFC accredited certifiers in your
country, who are listed in the Members
& Schemes section at www.pefc.org
and on the PEFC Council Interactive
Database respectively.
Other interested parties – if you
are interested in sustainable forest
management and its certification
and wish to become involved in
PEFC to promote sustainable forest
management, contact your national
PEFC office at www.pefc.org.
The PEFC Council
Registered as an asbl in Luxembourg
No. 1999-61-02192
17 Rue des Girondins
L-1626 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Tel : + 352 26 25 90 59
Fax: +352 26 25 92 58
Email : info@pefc.org
Web : www.pefc.org PEFC/01-00-01