PEFC Chain of Custody
Sustainable Forest Management System
QLC’s PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification consultants answer your questions
The PEFC Chain of Custody standard, published by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Council (PEFC), outlines requirements that businesses must fulfill to prove they implement a sustainable management system for certified forest products and wood by-products.
PEFC Chain of Custody applies to companies involved in harvesting, transporting, handling, processing, and trading products and by-products made from forest timber, regardless of the processing stage between the forest and the final consumer. Companies typically implementing PEFC Chain of Custody include those in logging, lumber production, wooden furniture and other wood- or cork-based products, pulp production, papermaking and cardboard manufacture, paper processing, and printing on paper.
Developing this management system involves:
- Defining which products will be included in the system, identifying their composition, raw materials, and origin.
- Categorizing included products by composition and origin of raw materials.
- Establishing a method for tracking and managing incoming raw materials, intermediate products, and final products for each product category.
- Evaluating existing processes and records against the standard’s requirements for the required management system.
- Revising existing processes and records in cases of deviations from the standard, and introducing new procedures and records where none exist.
- Determining the management and tracking method for incoming materials and outgoing products within the system.
- Training staff in system requirements.
- Implementing the system.
The management system need not apply to all of a company’s products. However, only products included in the system can claim PEFC Chain of Custody certification. Collaboration with a specialized consultant is usually necessary to develop a functional system tailored to the company’s needs and products, ensuring it meets standard requirements. PEFC Chain of Custody can also be integrated with other standards the company currently applies or plans to implement (e.g., FSC Chain of Custody, ISO 9001, ISO 14001) to form a single management system.
Bodies authorized to certify companies under PEFC Chain of Custody are those approved by the PEFC Council. Certification involves evaluating the company’s management system against the standard’s requirements and reviewing its practical implementation. Upon successful completion of this evaluation, the Certification Body issues a five-year certificate, giving the company the right to label products listed on the certificate with the corresponding PEFC mark. If deviations exist, corrective actions must be taken before the certificate is issued.
The certificate remains valid so long as scheduled periodic assessments (at least annually) confirm the company’s continued compliance with the standard’s requirements.
Primary reasons businesses seek PEFC Chain of Custody certification include:
- Attracting environmentally conscious consumers
- Access to new export markets where customers have a high environmental awareness
- Contributing to forest and environmental protection
- Meeting customer requirements
The time required for system development and certification depends on whether raw materials used are already certified, plus the company’s size, organizational level, variety of products, and active participation. For small businesses with appropriate organization and certified raw materials, it generally takes 1 to 4 months.