PEFC creates option for recycled raw material

The PEFC Council members have decided to make available a new option for the inclusion of recycled raw material in the PEFC system. The new option allows companies to communicate the content of recycled material in their products through a new combined label containing the PEFC logo and the Mobius Loop. A new category for ?PEFC recycled raw material?, separate from ?PEFC certified material?, was established. The accompanying claim for the new label is: ?Promoting sustainable forest management and recycling ? For more info: www.pefc.org?.

The label and the claim can be used on products, where the total content of PEFC certified wood or fibres and PEFC recycled raw material exceeds 70 %. The percentage of the proportion of the recycled material has to be stated inside the Mobius Loop.

To be included in the PEFC system, the recycled material has to meet the necessary PEFC safeguard requirements for recycled material, including the absence of contaminants, and be controlled and calculated separately through PEFC's international Chain of Custody.

To facilitate the new option changes to Annex 5 (PEFC logo rules) and the Appendices of Annex 4 (PEFC Chain of Custody) of the PEFC Council documentation have been made. The updated documents are available at the PEFC Council website at www.pefc.org > Documentation.

For more information please contact:
Oliver Scholz, Communications Manager PEFC Council Tel. + 352 26 25 90 59

Editor Notes

Forest Certification
Forest certification is a process which provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that the wood used in the products comes from sustainably managed forest. Sustainably managed forest are those whose management implements performance standards based on internationally agreed environmental, social and economical requirements.

PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)
PEFC is a framework for the mutual recognition of credible national or regional forest certification schemes that have been developed based on internationally recognised requirements for sustainable forest management. Since its launch in 1999, PEFC has become the largest forest certification umbrella organisation covering national schemes from all over the world, delivering hundreds of millions of tonnes of wood to the processing industry and then onto the market place from over 122 million 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.