PEFC hosts first in-person gathering of certification and accreditation bodies

7 July 2025 Event report

On 26 June, we welcomed experts from across the globe to our first in-person gathering of accreditation bodies and certification bodies. The event fostered open collaboration and sharing of insights on the implementation of our standards.

We also introduced our new data projects and strategy led by three core values:

• Data Integrity – ensuring all required data is captured and accurate.
• Data Access – verifying certification and demonstrating impact.
• Data Efficiency – Improved data user experience and interfaces.

We were proud to welcome 48 participants from around the world, including representatives from certification bodies including Preferred by Nature, Control Union, SGS, Intertek, DNVGL, BM Certification SIA, BMC Assurance , NSF, GFA, FCBA, BV France, HW-Zert, BM Trada, SCS Global Services, Soil Association, Holzforschung Austria and Wood.be.

We also extend our thanks to the representatives from accreditation bodies who joined us, including Accredia, COFRAC, CAI and TUNAC. Your participation and input were truly appreciated.

“Working closely with accreditation bodies and certification bodies on the development and implementation of our standards is a key for our success,” highlighted Rob Shaw, Head of Standards and Integrity at PEFC International, following the event. 

“I particularly appreciated the open and honest dialogue allowing us to explore challenges, such as attracting new generations to the audit profession, and how we can address them together.”

Event takeaways

The transition from RED II to RED III and the upcoming accreditation requirements sparked serious discussions in the PEFC RED standards session, especially around how biomass can be audited using PEFC’s framework. Participants showed great interest in PEFC RED certification and recognised its significant potential to support companies. 

Our technology partners CommonShare, LiveEO, and Osapiens gave inspiring presentations on how digital tools, satellite data, and smarter systems can make auditing and information sharing more reliable and transparent. Technology has an important role to play in the future of certification.

We highlighted the digital innovations being introduced at PEFC by walking the participants through the development of our new RED database, FREDII. This database is bringing PEFC into a new digital area, and we are working on applying these innovations to the full certification system in a new database. Significant emphasis was given to the crucial role of stakeholders - including PEFC national members, certification and accreditation bodies, and organisations - throughout the development process. 

The representative from Accredia introduced the accreditability evaluation for international standards, which enables certification bodies to be accredited under the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). An update was given on the accreditation status of the PEFC EUDR DDS standard, with the final evaluation expected by the end of July. Once finalised, certification bodies based in EA countries can apply to their accreditation bodies to extend their 17065 accreditation scope to cover the PEFC EUDR DDS module. 

Finally, we dove into the latest PEFC innovations in sustainable forest management and chain of custody. Speakers shared updates on our ongoing projects on circular economy, project certification, new requirements for certification bodies providing sustainable forest management certification, trees outside forests, and approaches to demonstrate positive impact in plantation forests. 

Looking ahead

This face-to-face meeting was a unique chance to connect, exchange ideas, and lay the foundation for even stronger collaboration in the future. 

“The feedback and ideas shared today will help shape the way we continue improving our standards and processes,” Rob concluded.