PEFC announces debut at the Frankfurt Book Fair

In response to rapidly growing demand for PEFC-certified paper products from the publishing and print buying sectors, a multi-national team from PEFC will be exhibiting at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year.

"To demonstrate their commitment to high environmental standards and responsible sourcing, the international publishing industry is increasingly looking to show its customers that the paper products it uses originate from legal and sustainable sources. Sourcing from PEFC-certified forests provides the publishing supply chain with such assurances" commented PEFC's Chairman, Michael Clark.

PEFC is now the world's largest global forest certification scheme, endorsing national forest certification schemes in twenty four countries on four continents. With over 200 million hectares under certification, the PEFC scheme has greatly increased the availability of certified paper and pulp to companies around the world committed to the responsible sourcing of raw materials.

Ben Gunneberg, PEFC's Secretary General added "exhibiting at the world's premier book trade event is a first for PEFC. We consider that Frankfurt will provide an important opportunity for us to raise awareness of the PEFC programme among a key target sector? the global publishing industry."

The Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), organised by a subsidiary company of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, is the world's largest book trade fair and will be held at Messeglände, Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1, 60327 Frankfurt am Main, Germany from 15-19 October 2008.

Editor Notes

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 on to the market place from over 200 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.

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 forests. Sustainably managed forests are those whose management implements performance standards based on internationally agreed environmental, social and economic requirements.