“Wood manufacturing matters – especially in the regions” was the title of the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) one-day conference held in Christchurch on Thursday, April 4th 2019.
And on hand to support the cause, Jason Ross, Responsible Wood’s Marketing and Communication Officer, was busy mixing with New Zealand’s wood processors and manufacturers, promoting the all-important chain of custody message.
“PEFC in New Zealand growing at a rapid rate, especially in forest area.”
PEFC certification, a major discussion point at the conference
“For wood processors, manufacturers, merchants, traders and retailers, Chain of Custody is king, it provides processors and manufacturers with a gateway to global markets,” Mr Ross said.
As the world’s largest forest certification scheme, PEFC is carried in more than 50 countries and has more than 300 million hectares of defined forest area currently under forest certification.
“PEFC has strong recognised schemes in many of New Zealand’s largest export markets including Australia, South Korea, Japan and the United States of America.”
“This provides New Zealand businesses with confidence that New Zealand manufactured and processed timbers that carry the PEFC trust mark meet important environmental and social benchmarks for export,” Mr Ross.
And with processors and manufacturers increasingly required to demonstrate timber legality in the country where timbers are harvested, PEFC Chain of Custody is an instrument that can be used to demonstrate ongoing support and commitment to timber legality and sustainable forestry.
“For companies that have Chain of Custody, the PEFC trust mark is a commitment to procure and use timbers that are sourced from forests that meet the New Zealand standard for sustainable forest management.”
“And when it comes to demonstrating timber legality and committing to support responsible forestry using a scheme that meets the New Zealand standard is critical,” Mr Ross said.
For more information about Chain of Custody please visit the Responsible Wood website.
