Last month, PEFC welcomed India to the PEFC alliance as the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF) became our 40th national member.

Welcoming India into the global PEFC family, PEFC’s Chief Executive Ben Gunneberg said “We’d like to use this opportunity to thank all our supporters who have helped PEFC move beyond our European roots to become the world’s leading forest certification system”.

It was back in 1999, when national organisations from eleven countries came together to establish PEFC, responding to the specific requirements of small and family forest owners in Europe. This was followed a year later with the endorsement of the first national forest certification systems, enabling forest owners and managers in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden to certify their responsible forestry practices.

The next key milestone came in 2004 when Australia and Chile became the first non-European systems to achieve endorsement. This saw PEFC change its name from the Pan European Forest Certification Council to the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

In 2005, PEFC became the world’s largest forest certification system with more than 100 million hectares of certified forest area, as a result of the endorsement of the Canadian forest certification system. By 2007, the certified area had grown to 200 million hectares.

2009 was another important year for PEFC, as Gabon became both the first African system, and the first tropical system, to be endorsed. A few months later, Malaysia became the first PEFC-endorsed system in Asia.

We have had many busy years since, from the first PEFC Forest Certification Week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2013, to the endorsement of the Argentina, China and Indonesia national forest certification systems in 2014.

More recently Japan and New Zealand have submitted their systems for PEFC endorsement. Demand for PEFC continues to grow and there are countries all over the world currently developing their own national forest certification systems. We are therefore already looking forward to welcoming our 41st member.

PEFC UK newsWWW.PEFC.CO.UK ISSUE 38 • OCTOBER 2015

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

....and India Makes 40

PEFC UK’s endorsed forest certification scheme is the United Kingdom Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS). This standard is currently undergoing a periodic five-yearly review.

The UKWAS Steering Group is actively seeking stakeholder comments to inform the development of the UKWAS Fourth Edition which will be released in autumn next year. If you

have an interest in sustainable forest management in the UK or the development of the UKWAS 4, we would very much appreciate your input. A link to the draft can be found below. Comments should be e-mailed to the UKWAS Support Unit on ukwas@confor.org.uk by 30th October 2015.

http://ukwas.org.uk/article/ukwas-4-draft-for-consultation

UKWAS Comments Sought

PEFC’s Global Presence

Your Assurance of Responsible Sourcing

Ross Bradshaw has now succeeded Hugh Miller as Chairman of PEFC UK. Ross has worked in the paper manufacturing industry for over twenty five years. In addition to his role at PEFC UK, Ross is active in a number of industry groups, including The Paper and Board Association and The Stationers’ Company, The City of London Livery Company for the Communications and Content industries, where he is a Liveryman.

Currently, Ross runs his own paper agency business representing a number of speciality paper mills from the USA and Europe, offering bespoke publishing and packaging papers. Ross is PEFC UK’s longest serving director, having joined the Board in 2007.

In addition, Simon Hart from Egger UK has also been appointed to the PEFC Board. Simon is currently General Manager of Egger Forest Management, an arm of Egger Forestry, which offers a full range of forestry services to woodland owners in the north of England and Scotland He brings over 30 years’ experience in the forestry world to his role at PEFC.

Simon also runs Egger’s forest certification scheme and sits on the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) Steering Group. Prior to joining Egger, he worked for UPM Tilhill, mainly in forestry investment, but since 2000 he also audited woodlands to the UKWAS standard. He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Foresters and RICS and a Registered Valuer.

Last month Fabienne Sinclair joined the PEFC team at its Geneva headquarters. With a background in consumer products, most recently as a Marketing Manager at Colgate Palmolive, Fabienne has responsibility for PEFC’s international marketing activities.

We are delighted to welcome Fabienne who brings over fifteen years of marketing, commercial and communications experience to the organisation. A graduate of Nantes University in marketing and business management, Fabienne lived and worked in the UK for several years.

Key Appointment at PEFC International

PEFC UK Board Update

Fabienne Sinclair

Simon Hart

Ross Bradshaw

Sustainable Brands 15 LondonNext month, PEFC will be participating in a three day event which will be held at the Beaumont Estate, Windsor from 16-18 November – Sustainable Brands 15 London. This event will bring together almost 500 thought leaders, brand innovators, designers, and global business leaders to explore various topics and issues relating to sustainability. Through a combination of plenary sessions, workshops, the Activation Hub and networking events, this conference has been designed to benefit everyone from NGOs and small business owners, to CEOs and global brand leaders. PEFC will be present in the Activation Hub to promote the

assurances of responsible sourcing that PEFC certification provides.

The event is aimed at those working in a broad range of disciplines including Sustainability/CSR, Branding, Communications and Design and Innovation. Global companies such as Audi, L’Oreal, Unilever. Adidas and GSK have already confirmed their participation. If you could like to join us you can register at http://events.sustainablebrands.com/sb15london/register quoting code VT13508055 for a £100 discount on admission.

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More than 500 leaders and innovators from across the UK construction sector gathered at the NEC, Birmingham earlier this month, for the inaugural Structural Timber Awards dinner. These awards aim to recognise outstanding projects, innovative products and companies promoting excellence in structural timber across the UK. The awards were hosted by the Chairman of the Structural Timber Association, Andrew Carpenter. The guest speaker was architect, television personality, lecturer and writer George Clarke.

The big winner of the night was the Sky Believe in Better Building which won five awards. B & K Structures, which provided the structural timber frame for the project, took home the ‘Winner of Winners Award’, Best Commercial Project of the Year, Best Low Energy Project as well as the Best Education Project, which was sponsored by PEFC UK. Architects Arup Associates also scooped the Architect of the Year award for the same project.

Structural Timber Awards

Last month, PEFC UK participated in the Confor Woodland Show which was held on the Longleat Estate in Wiltshire. Visitors to the show included forest owners and growers, woodland owners, forestry professionals, contractors, timber buyers and processors and others with an interest in the rural environment. The event provided excellent opportunities for those working in the forestry sector to meet, buy and sell on two gloriously sunny autumn days.

PEFC were there to promote its newly-developed small woodland certification solution. The new system aims to provide a simple and cost-effective solution to assist the UK’s small and medium-sized private forest owners to become PEFC-certified. It is designed to help increase the UK’s certified forest area and boost the supply of certified material to the UK primary processing sector and its customers. To find out more visit: www.pefc.co.uk/forestry/forestry-certification-system-tool.

Confor Woodland Show

PEFC’s Alun Watkins presents the award for Best Education Project to Nick Milestone, Managing Director of B&K Structures

New Additions to the PEFC Library

Meet PEFC

Packaging Innovations 2015

ContactsA new title has recently been added to the PEFC library PEFC Sustainable Forest Management – an Online Certification System for UK Woodland Owners. In addition, the consumer brochure – PEFC: The Responsible Choice for Forest Products has also been revised and updated.

Copies of both brochures are available free of charge. They can be downloaded from the PEFC website or printed copies can be obtained by e-mailing: hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk

Alternative Investment Forum20-21 October 2015LondonFurther details: www.arena-international.com/alternativeinvest

Pira Packaging Summit11-12 November 2015LondonFurther details: www.pack-summit.com

PEFC Stakeholder Workshop12 November 2015BristolFurther details: info@pefc.co.uk

Sustainable Brands 15 London16-18 November 2015WindsorFurther details: http://events.sustainablebrands.com/sb15london

PEFC Stakeholder Workshop19 November 2015LeedsFurther details: info@pefc.co.uk

Alun WatkinsPEFC UK Executive Directore awatkins@pefc.co.ukt 0114 307 2334Please call Alun for all general enquiries and queries about Chain of Custody and use of the PEFC logo.

Hilary KhawamPEFC Communications and Marketing Directore hilary.khawam@pefc.co.ukt 01689 819902

In September, PEFC UK joined forces with SFI and PEFC certified company, AB Packaging Group, to exhibit for the second year in succession at Packaging Innovations. The two-day show took place at its new home, London Olympia on 16-17 September.

The show provided us with valuable opportunities to meet with leading brand owners and retailers to promote PEFC as an assurance of responsible Sourcing. The event certainly met our expectations and we are already looking forward to next year’s show.

Alun Watkins chats to Peter Andrews of the British Retail Consortium