Two international certification schemes for sustainable forest management. They demonstrate that timber comes from responsibly managed forests. For the EUDR, the rule is: they do not replace due diligence, but they can ease the risk assessment.
A certificate is a valuable building block – but not a free pass. The EUDR still requires geolocation data, a risk assessment and a due diligence statement.
What are FSC and PEFC?
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) are the two most widely used schemes worldwide for certifying sustainable forest management. They set standards for forest management and supply chains and have compliance verified by independent bodies. A so-called chain-of-custody certification makes it possible to trace certified material through the processing and trading chain.
Why don't they replace the EUDR obligation?
The EUDR sets its own, legally defined requirements that a private certificate does not automatically cover. In particular, the regulation requires the exact geolocation coordinates of the plot of production and proof that it was not deforested after 31 December 2020 – information not necessarily contained in this form in a certificate. The due diligence statement via TRACES NT also remains mandatory, independently of the certificate.
So how do the certificates help?
Their benefit lies primarily in the risk assessment. Whoever sources from a certified supplier can draw on the existing audit and documentation system as additional evidence.
- Certificates provide indications of legal and sustainable production.
- They can help to substantiate a negligible risk.
- They often make data exchange with suppliers easier.
Tip: Treat FSC/PEFC as supporting evidence within your due diligence – not as a substitute. The article Certificates and the EUDR takes a deeper look at the comparison of FSC, PEFC and FLEGT.
Who is affected in practice?
The question is practically relevant for almost all timber-industry businesses – from the sawmill through the timber trade to the importer. Anyone already certified has a head start on documentation, but must still provide the EUDR-specific information.
Relationship to other obligations
FSC and PEFC fit into the risk assessment of due diligence. In addition, a FLEGT licence can bring further simplifications when importing from certain partner countries. In all cases, the completed due diligence statement remains required.