Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification
Caring for our forests globally and locally
Newsletter
PEFC Turns 20
THIS year the global PEFC family is celebrating
the organisation’s 20th anniversary. In the 1990s,
forest certification was designed primarily for
large-scale forest owners, managing huge areas of
forest land. These large-scale forestry operations
were able to take on the costs of certification but
millions of small, family and community forest
owners could not. As a result, while they could
appreciate the market benefits certification
provided, they were priced out of the certification
process and therefore from the growing market
for certified products.
So, back in 1999, organisations representing
small-forest owners from around Europe, came
Peter Latham Appointed Forestry Commissioner
EARLIER this
month, DEFRA
announced the
appointment of
Peter Latham as one of
three new Non-Executive
Commissioners to Forestry Commission England.
The Forestry Commission is a non-Ministerial
Government department established almost a
hundred years ago. The appointment, which is for
a three-year term, commenced on 1st April 2019.
 Click on the link:  www.pefc.co.uk  info@.pefc.co.uk  PEFCUK  @PEFC_UK  pefcinternational
together to create an international forest
certification system that could meet their
needs. This led to the creation of PEFC
in June 1999. This was an important development
as 25% of the world’s forests are family and
community-owned, so it’s vital that these forests
are managed sustainably.
By enabling such small-scale forest owners to
participate in certification, PEFC led a great leap
forward for sustainable forest management.
For the past twenty years we have strived to
ensure our forest certification system continues
to be accessible and relevant to forest owners
around the world. Everyone who has contributed
A former Chairman of PEFC UK, Peter is currently
the Chairman of PEFC International, a Director
of Association Technique Internationale des
Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT) and a Trustee of the
Commonwealth Forestry Association. He was
previously CEO and Chairman of James Latham,
the UK’s leading distributor of Timber & Panel
products since 1757. Peter brings to the role his
extensive knowledge of the timber industry
and experience of successful stakeholder
engagement on an international level.
April 2019 • Issue 52
to PEFC’s success can take pride in how the
organisation – which started out with half a dozen
European members – has now flourished into a
truly global alliance, operating in 49 countries.
PEFC certified companies can join in the
celebrations by using the specially commissioned
20th anniversary logo. Visit the on-line PEFC
logo generator https://bit.ly/2U4xb5B
to download the logo and if required, some
supporting text. We now look to the next 20
years as we all work in partnership to support a
sustainable future for the world’s forests.
The other appointments were Jennie Price,
a former CEO of WRAP and Sport England
and Liz Philip, a former Principal of two
agricultural colleges, including Newton Rigg
in Cumbria, which was established as the
National School of Forestry in 1969. These
newly-appointed Commissioners will play a
key role in establishing a strong, sustainable
future for the organisation, as it lays the
foundations for the next 100 years of
forestry in England.
 Morrisons Trials Paper Bags
IN FEBRUARY, Morrisons, the UK’s 4th largest
supermarket chain, announced that it would be
trialing paper shopping bags in 8 of its stores
with a view to further reducing the use of single-
use plastic carrier bags. The bags are made
from PEFC-certified paper and carry the PEFC
label to provide customers with
assurances of responsible
sourcing. The 8-week
trial was conducted
in stores in London,
Yorkshire, Scotland
and Wales. It proved
Morrisons “Reusable” PEFC Certified Paper Carrier Bag so successful that the
bags were rolled out to all Morrison’s stores in
Wales earlier this month and will be in stores in
England and Scotland in May.
These tough, reusable paper bags are
manufactured by Ebbw Vale-based, AB
Group Packaging and made from PEFC-
certified paper supplied by Swedish company,
Billerudkorsnäs. This innovative packaging
achievement was entered into the Business in
the Community Responsible Business Awards
and recently featured on ITV Wales.
https://bit.ly/2PhWGzn

Surface Design Show 2019

IN FEBRUARY, we hosted a responsible
timber sourcing CPD at the Surface Design
Show. This learning module has been developed
to help architects, building designers and others
specifying timber for their projects, learn more
about responsible timber procurement and
Chain of Custody certification. The CPD was
presented by Charlie Law, Managing Director
of Sustainable Construction Solutions, who has
worked in the construction sector for over 30
years, and has extensive industry knowledge
having worked for BAM, Kier
and Lendlease. Charlie is also a
Director at the Timber Research
and Development Association
(TRADA), a member of the Grown
in Britain Executive and a member
of the Ska Technical Committee.
by architects, designers and suppliers keen
The Surface Design show is the only event to learn more about the latest trends and
in the UK which focuses on interior and innovations. Over 170 exhibitors assemble to
exterior surface materials, and is attended present the best in surface design.

New Director for PEFC UK

IN JANUARY, Tom Hallam was appointed to PEFC UK’s Board of Directors. As a membership association
representing a broad range of stakeholder interests, it is important that key markets trading in PEFC-certified
products are represented on the Board. Tom will bring his expertise of the packaging sector to Board discussions.

Tom is Director, Business Development (Bags) for BillerudKorsnäs. He took up his current position in
2016, after roles at DS Smith, UPM Kymmene and Reckitt Benckiser. With thirteen years in the paper and
packaging industries, Tom’s experience encompasses both market and consumer insight, and environment
and innovation. In his present role, he works closely with brand owners and retailers on packaging
innovations which “challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future”.

 Click on the link:  www.pefc.co.uk  info@.pefc.co.uk  PEFCUK  @PEFC_UK  pefcinternational

 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Border Hardwood Chain of Custody
Update
WE are pleased to announce that the revised
PEFC Chain of Custody Standard PEFC ST
2002:201X will be released for a 60-day pubic
consultation on 10th May 2019. We’ll be
sending an e-shot with a link to the draft to all
members then.

The feedback on the draft will be taken

Border Hardwood’s Charlie Bevan-Jones and Tom Hiles on a due diligence inspection
BORDER HARDWOOD is a traditional,
fourth generation oak timber merchant and
importer, specialising in European Oak. The
company supplies the joinery, restoration
and construction trades and has been PEFC-
certified for more than 10 years.
Sustainability lies at the heart of the
company’s values and beliefs. In addition to
its certification credentials, Border Hardwood
has committed to other environmental
initiatives such as the use of solar power,
biomass boilers for its drying kilns and,
where practical, opts for rail freight over road
transport to help reduce its carbon footprint.
To learn more about Border Hardwoods visit:
www.borderhardwood.com
into account at the next Chain of Custody
Working Group meeting in September, prior
to finalising the standard. The main changes
appear to be to the overall structure of the
text (following the ISO High Level structure)
and the Due Diligence System.
We hope that the revised Chain of Custody
standard will be approved at the PEFC
General Assembly in November 2019. We will
be offering training seminars to members
involved in administering Chain of Custody
within their companies, in early 2020.

Certified Forests
Calling All Fashion Brands and Sustainable
NEXT MONTH, PEFC will be hosting Construction
a sustainable sourcing event in
London. Participants are invited to
learn more about the role wood-based
fibres, from sustainably managed
Photo © The Crown Estate
forests, can play in unlocking
opportunities for sustainability in THE Crown Estate forest in Windsor Great
textiles. Park will once again be the main location
for this year’s field trip for the construction
Fashion brands have an important role sector. CSR and procurement professionals
to play in creating sustainable supply chains and driving demand for responsibly sourced products. from this sector are invited to join us to learn
Today, only 7% of textiles are produced from wood fibres, but their share of the global fibre basket more about the importance of certification
is expected to grow to 30% by 2023. It is therefore important that the wood fibre comes from and how the construction sector can support
responsibly-managed forests which support biodiversity and help prevent deforestation. responsible producers and ultimately the
world’s woodlands and forests, through their
To learn more about how PEFC can help support responsible sourcing practices and provide procurement choices. For more information
traceability from forest to wardrobe, please join us in London on 22nd May 2019. If you would like to visit: https://bit.ly/2v0ajdd
attend, please RVSP to hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk by 26th April 2019. https://bit.ly/2Ue7fnW

 Click on the link:  www.pefc.co.uk  info@.pefc.co.uk  PEFCUK  @PEFC_UK  pefcinternational

 Meet PEFC UK
Annual Field Trip
15-16 May 2019
Dryfesdale Hotel,
Lockerbie

Forests for Fashion Event

TRADA’s University Challenge

IN FEBRUARY, PEFC UK was proud to support
TRADA’s University Challenge to raise awareness
of the importance of specifying certified
sustainable timber among the next generation
of construction professionals.
Entrants to this demanding competition
included architects, architectural technologists,
engineers, landscape architects and quantity
surveying undergraduates from UK universities.
This year’s brief was to design healthy student
accommodation, predominantly from timber.
The intense two-day challenge took place at
the University of Sheffield. Sixty students from
25 Universities competed to design, cost and
engineer accommodation that used timber and
timber products to emphasise health and well-
22 May 2019
Techspace Shoredtich,
London
https://bit.ly/2Ue7fnW
being, energy efficiency, and all to budget. Each
team consisted of two architects or architectural Annual Contractor Field Trip
technologists, two engineers, a landscape 12 June 2019
architect and a quantity surveyor. Windsor Estate
https://bit.ly/2v0ajdd
The competition kicked off early Friday morning
and continued until Saturday afternoon, during Annual General Meeting
which time students collaborated in designated 2 July 2019
design teams. The winning team consisted of Sheffield Hallam University
engineers Arnas Mikalauskas, University of info@pefc.co.uk
Sheffield, Aleksandra Ziembinska, University of
Strathclyde, architects Isaac Palmiere-Szabo, Annual Stakeholder Meeting
Leicester School of Architecture, De Montfort 3 October 2019
University and Louisa Keighley, University of Derby, NCVO Offices,
Emma Beaumont, a Landscape Architect from London
the University of Sheffield and Quantity Surveyor info@pefc.co.uk
Cameron Timms from Coventry University.

Howarth’s Peter Kelly Wins Gold

LAST YEAR, Howarth Timber Group’s
Peter Kelly travelled to Japan to compete
at the Japan Veteran International Judo
Championships. The competition took place
in the Ehime Budokan – Shiai, Matsuyama,
which is the largest dojo in Japan and
constructed largely of timber. While there
were over 700 Japanese competitors, Peter
was one of only seven GB competitors yet
he still returned home with a bronze medal.
January saw Peter competing in the Scottish
Open Championships, which were held at the
Emirates Arena in Glasgow. This time, Peter
achieved the Gold medal following a tough
day on the mat. Congratulations to Peter on
his successes from everyone at PEFC UK.

ALUN WATKINS HILARY KHAWAM

PEFC UK Executive Director PEFC UK Communications & Marketing Director
 awatkins@pefc.co.uk /  0114 307 2334  hilary.khawam@pefc.co.uk /  01689 819902
Please call Alun for all general enquiries and queries about Chain of Custody and use of the PEFC logo.

 Click on the link:  www.pefc.co.uk  info@.pefc.co.uk  PEFCUK  @PEFC_UK  pefcinternational