PEFC chain of custody certificates issued against previous 2013 standard soon to be invalid

The FSC Interim Forest Stewardship Standard (IFSS) for Non- Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) for Vietnam has been published. Organizations can now certify their NTFPs, supporting the promotion of responsible forestry around the world by ensuring social responsibility, environmental protection, and economic sustainability. In Vietnam, NTFPs including bamboo, rattan, bamboo shoots, edible plant, fruit, and herbal plants carry good potential for organizations and communities to generate additional income from forest resources; especially for natural forests over which a logging ban has been put years ago. Thus, NTFP utilization can have many positive impacts on rural livelihood. The rubber sector in Vietnam includes both larger corporate forests and plantations managed by smallholders. This standard will help to remove bottlenecks and boost the supply of FSC certified NTFPs such as bamboo, rattan, oil from community/ natural forests, and latex from rubber plantations which are increasing in demand in Vietnam, thereby supporting sustainable forest management.

PEFC was delighted to welcome new national members from Ghana, Hungary, Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Romania and Thailand. You have to look back to the early days of our organization for so many members joining in one year. These new members join a fantastic network of organizations, and many of their activities can be found throughout the Annual Review.

To support certified entities and certification bodies during the COVID-19 challenge, we have extended the transition period for our three revised international standards by six months. This extension applies to the 2020 versions of the Chain of Custody (ST 2002), PEFC Trademarks (ST 2001) and Certification Body Requirements - Chain of Custody (ST 2003) standards. The transition date is now 14 February 2022. This extension gives certified entities and certification and accreditation bodies an additional six months to align their procedures with the requirements in the 2020 versions of these three vital standards. The aim of the extension is to give our stakeholders more flexibility in when they move to the 2020 standards, as we understand the current situation is very difficult for many companies around the world.