Schemes development

Forest certification schemes seeking to be endorsed by the PEFC Council must be developed in an open and transparent way through a multi-stakeholder process.

The forest certification schemes must be reviewed at least every 5 years to incorporate new experiences and scientific knowledge into the standards.

PEFC Recognition and Endorsement

National forest certification schemes that seek to be recognised by the PEFC Council and to have an access to the PEFC logo must fulfil all the PEFC requirements for forest certification schemes defined in the PEFC Council Technical Document and relevant Annexes.

The assessment process includes a public consultation period with the assessment of schemes being undertaken by independent consultants. They assess whether the scheme meets the guidelines and also the requirements of PEFC Council. Based on this independent assessment, all member countries and their stakeholders are in a position to participate in an informed vote on whether they mutually recognise the applicant scheme or not.