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| The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes), the world's largest forest certification organization, has announced the appointment of Thorsten Arndt as Head of Communications.
Mr. Arndt joins the PEFC Council with over seven years experience on issues related to sustainable development. Prior to joining the PEFC Council, Mr. Arndt served as Communications Manager for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the world's leading business organization dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development. Earlier, he worked from 1998 - 2001 as Knowledge and Information Management Associate at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York.
"We are delighted to have Thorsten join our team", said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC Council. He brings with him in-depth experience of the various aspects of sustainable development and its communication, which is fundamental to PEFC as a forest certification organization."
"I am very excited about the opportunity to be part of the next phase of PEFC's development", said Thorsten Arndt. "Forest certification promotes the sustainable management of forests and is an essential tool for bringing about sustainable development. PEFC's relocation to Geneva expresses the commitment of the organization to collaborate more closely with its stakeholders in international organizations, NGOs and other partners, and I am looking forward to engaging actively with these in my new role."
The new offices in Geneva are located at the World Trade Center in close proximity to United Nations organizations and the International Environment House:
PEFC Council
World Trade Center 1
10, route de l'Aéroport
CH-1215 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (22) 799 45 40
Fax +41 (22) 799 45 50
For more information contact:
Mr Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General PEFC Council, Tel: +41 (22) 799 45 40
Mr Thorsten Arndt, Head of Communications PEFC Council, Tel +41 (22) 799 45 40
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Editor Notes
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)
PEFC is a framework for the assessment and endorsement of national forest certification systems 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 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 currently more than 200 million hectares of certified forests. This is an area which is larger than the combined forest area of all European Union member states. PEFC has strong grass roots support from many stakeholders including the forestry sector, governments, trade associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations.
Forest Certification
Forest certification is a process which provides an assurance to purchasers of wood and paper products that the wood used in the products comes from sustainably managed forest. It involves the certification of forests (Sustainable Forest Management certification) and the certification of the wood flow via processing, manufacturing and trading enterprises (Chain of Custody certification) to the final consumer.
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