KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Inc. was recognized this week for the greatest increase in forest certification of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) national members at the PEFC General Assembly. SFI is one of 38 PEFC National Governing Bodies representing forest certification standards from around the globe at the PEFC General Assembly this week in Malaysia. SFI-certified area has grown to just over 100 million hectares in North America, representing 25 percent growth since last year.

Other PEFC members recognized for the greatest growth in certified forest area were PEFC France, and PEFC Poland. Award recipients for the greatest growth in PEFC COC certificates were PEFC France, MTCC (Malaysia) and PEFC Spain.

Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC International, stated “I am so pleased to see PEFC members contribute to certified forest area and chain of custody growth throughout the supply chain across North America, Europe and Asia.”

“Organizations that have achieved SFI certification since the last PEFC General Assembly in November 2012 include such a diversity of forest management certificate holders. SFI certified organizations include university experimental forests, state lands, provincial lands, forestry community co-ops including small logging operators, First Nations to large corporations,” said SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow, who participated in the PEFC General Assembly.

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international nonprofit, non-­governmental organisation dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) through independent third-­party certification. It works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure that timber and non-timber forest products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards. Thanks to its eco-label, customers and consumers are able to identify products from sustainably managed forests. PEFC is an umbrella organisation which works by endorsing national forest certification systems developed through multi-stakeholder processes and tailored to local priorities and conditions. More information: www.pefc.org.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative™ (SFI™) program. Across the United States and Canada, more than 240 million acres/more than 100 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is endorsed by PEFC. Learn more at www.sfiprogram.org and www.sfiprogram.org/Buy-SFI.

Source: Sustainable Forestry Initiative