Ecolabel seen as benefit to forestry

The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification could mean new market opportunities  for...
The Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification could mean new market opportunities for many in the New Zealand forest sector. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.

The New Zealand Forest Certification Association has been included in an internationally recognised ecolabel which could open up new opportunities for forest owners, manufacturers and exporters.

Chairman of the New Zealand Forest Certification Association (NZFCA), Dr Andrew McEwen, said the association had been included in the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), describing it as the world's leading forest certification system, promoting sustainable forest management through independent third party certification.

''Thanks to its ecolabel, customers and consumers are able to identify products from sustainably managed forests,'' Dr McEwen said in a statement yesterday.

The PEFC has more than 260 million ha of forests under global accreditation.

An increasing number of New Zealand companies were taking on PEFC chain of custody certification, enabling them to manufacture and trade PEFC-certified products under the PEFC label, he said.

''This will be beneficial for all those along the forest products value chain, from forest growers to manufacturers and exporters as it opens up opportunities for new markets for forest products produced from New Zealand forests,'' Dr McEwen said.

Many of the countries which purchase New Zealand forest products, or compete with New Zealand exports, were already PEFC members, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Russia and the US, Dr McEwen said, noting that India also wanted to join.

''It makes sense for New Zealand forest growers to be in a position to supply PEFC certified forest products to all these markets.''

He said the PEFC programme works throughout the forest supply chain, to promote good practice in the forest and to ensure timber, and non-timber forest products, were produced according to the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.

He estimated a PEFC endorsed certification system would be in place by the end of the year, based on the New Zealand Standard for Sustainable Forest Management, itself an adoption of the Australian Forestry Standard.

• The NZFCA was established last year (2014) to bring the PEFC certification system to New Zealand.

Its members are forest growers and processors, including Rayonier, Ernslaw One and the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association, which has southern-based members.

simon.hartley@odt.co.nz

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