PEFC
Forest Certification Umbrella System (PEFC)
PEFC is an accredited third-party certification: Forest Certification Umbrella System (PEFC). PEFC Council is a Swiss-registered association (UID CHE-114.409.608, registered 09.07.2008, Meyrin/Geneva). PEFC does not apply one central standard; instead, it runs an umbrella/mutual-recognition system that endorses each country's own national forest certification standard — this is where it differs from FSC. Per PEFC's own published statistics (as of December 2025), 295,982,894 hectares of forest are PEFC-certified worldwide. Detailed FSC comparison figures (percentage thresholds) remain in the verification queue and are not stated here. Source note: pefc.org's own page could not be opened this round due to a CAPTCHA wall; the facts here were verified via PEFC's own CDN publication (PEFC Global Statistics, December 2025), the Swiss commercial registry (Moneyhouse/SOGC) and PEFC UK's (pefc.co.uk) national member site. It applies to forest product, paper, packaging and furniture processors and traders that will carry a PEFC-certified forest-origin material claim.
- Class
- Accredited third-party certification
- Scheme owner
- PEFC Council
- Related sectors
- 2
- Last verified
What is this programme?
PEFC Council is a Swiss-registered association (UID CHE-114.409.608, registered 09.07.2008, Meyrin/Geneva). PEFC does not apply one central standard; instead, it runs an umbrella/mutual-recognition system that endorses each country's own national forest certification standard — this is where it differs from FSC. Per PEFC's own published statistics (as of December 2025), 295,982,894 hectares of forest are PEFC-certified worldwide. Detailed FSC comparison figures (percentage thresholds) remain in the verification queue and are not stated here. Source note: pefc.org's own page could not be opened this round due to a CAPTCHA wall; the facts here were verified via PEFC's own CDN publication (PEFC Global Statistics, December 2025), the Swiss commercial registry (Moneyhouse/SOGC) and PEFC UK's (pefc.co.uk) national member site.
Who is it for?
Forest product, paper, packaging and furniture processors and traders that will carry a PEFC-certified forest-origin material claim.
Who issues the certificate?
PEFC Council does not issue certificates itself; it endorses each country's own national certification system (endorsement / mutual recognition). Which body issues an individual business's chain of custody certificate is not established in this record — flagged as an open question in the verification queue.
What to verify before you accept it
Confirm whether the target country's national PEFC system is endorsed by PEFC Council, and which dated PEFC publication the claimed hectare/scope statistic rests on — separately.
What triggers an assessment?
- A PEFC-certified forest-origin material claim will be made on the product.
- A buyer or retailer asks for PEFC by name.
What does it not replace?
- It is not the same programme as FSC Chain of Custody; PEFC is an umbrella system endorsing national standards, while FSC applies one central standard.
- It is not a record verified directly via pefc.org; the sources are the alternative documents above, and that is stated openly on the page.
Official source
Last verified:
This page is for information only; it is not legal advice. A programme appearing here does not mean it is required for your business. This library does not issue certificates.