S. Korea, West Rock, Four European Organizations Become PEFC Members

This past week (June 9) the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Geneva, Switzerland, announced that South Korea (the Republic of Korea) was now officially a new member.

"We are very happy and proud to officially become part of the PEFC family," said Hyemi Lee, from the Korean Forestry Promotion Institute (KoFPI), following the acceptance of the Republic of Korea as a PEFC National member.

"We faced many difficulties during the development of our Korea Forest Certification Scheme, therefore the help and support we received for the whole PEFC alliance has been invaluable.

"As well as the vital information from PEFC International, we also received help from other PEFC National members, in particular from Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, and Malaysia, to name a few," Lee continued.

"We appreciate the opportunity to support Korea in the development of their national forest certification system," said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC International CEO. "One of the great strengths of PEFC is the high level of adaptability of national standards to local conditions.

"PEFC members around the world have accumulated a wealth of experience working with people on the ground to establish sustainable forest management requirements responding to their needs while responding to international expectations, and we're looking forward to sharing knowledge with KoFPI," Gunneberg continued.

"While forest certification has been present in Republic of Korea for the last few years, the current models are not well suited to our national conditions," continued Lee, explaining the motivation to develop a national forest certification system in line with PEFC’s international requirements. "As voices urging the implementation of their own certification system, which reflects the distinct characteristics of Korean forests, grew among stakeholders, the Korea Forest Certification Council (KFCC) was established," she explained.

The KFCC has since conducted various activities such as the development of national standards and pilot tests. Applying and becoming a PEFC member was an important step towards the submission of the national system to PEFC.

"Furthermore, we are going to apply for PEFC endorsement within this year," Lee concluded. "We believe that through PEFC endorsemen,t we can promote and spread sustainable forest management throughout Korea."

The Republic of Korea has now become the latest country in Asia to join the PEFC alliance, highlighting continued growth towards a sustainable forest industry sector in the region.

On June 10, the program also announced the addition of four new organizations to the programs roll of membership, including one of the largest paper packaging producers in the U.S.

"We are delighted to welcome AEBIOM, CEETTAR, CNVP and WestRock Co. as International Stakeholder members," said Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, following the acceptance of the new members. "By becoming members, these organizations help and support us in our vital work to ensure the sustainable management of the world’s forests."

The new members:

Connecting Natural Values and People (CNVP) is an international organization with expertise in forestry and rural development, focused specifically on the Balkans. With operations in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro, CNVP provides advisory services in forestry, rural development, environment, and biomass for renewable energy, with the aim of improving livelihoods of rural people. We have been working with CNVP for several years on the development of a national forest certification system in Macedonia.

The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) is the common voice of the bioenergy sector, aiming to develop a sustainable bioenergy market based on fair business conditions. As an international nonprofit organization, AEBIOM brings together 29 national associations and around 90 companies from all over Europe. AEBIOM holds a strong position representing all bioenergy sectors and has a unique possibility to influence European policies, communications, and various other EU papers.

The European Confederation of Agricultural, Rural, and Forestry Contractors (CEETTAR) represents around 150,000 companies and nearly 600,000 workers, with the aim of representing the interests of these land-based contractors in Europe. In 2014, CEETTAR merged with former International Stakeholder member European Network of Forestry Entrepreneurs (ENFE), resulting in a stronger and more representative single organization representing land-based contractors at EU level.

WestRock (Richmond, Va., USA) is a leading global packaging company, providing paper and packaging solutions in consumer and corrugated markets. WestRock was formed in 2015 through the merger of previous PEFC International Stakeholder member MeadWestvaco and RockTenn. WestRock’s 42,000 team members support customers around the world from around 275 operating and business locations spanning North and South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

With these four new members and the addition of the Republic of Korea, the program now counts 26 International Stakeholder members, as well as 43 national members.