‘Trans-Tasman forestry standard gains pace as New Zealanders embrace PEFC forest certification’
Speaking ahead of an extensive New Zealand outreach, Responsible Wood’s Simon Dorries and Jason Ross spoke glowingly of PEFC’s growing footprint in the forest products industry.
‘We have a busy itinerary, as it stands we are meeting with a variety of timber and paper based companies which proudly carry PEFC forest certification.’
‘We are also meeting with a number of influential groups including the New Zealand Tropical Timber Importer’s Group and the New Zealand Green Building Council, briefing the New Zealand market on the development of the new joint standard for Sustainable Forest Management,’ Mr Dorries said.
Indeed Responsible Wood, the National Governing Body for PEFC in Australia, will be travelling to New Zealand to discuss the standard development and champion the all-important PEFC forest certification message.
Simon Dorries, CEO, and Jason Ross, Marketing and Communication Officer, will be spending the week of Monday July 29th until Friday August 2nd traveling through Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington, and have been taken aback by the interest in forest certification from sustainably mindful New Zealanders.
‘Awareness and recognition of PEFC forest certification is growing in the New Zealand marketplace, forest certification inquiries continue to grow, especially in the building materials sector.’
‘And with the development of the new Trans-Tasman forestry standard, the first joint Australian and New Zealand standard for Sustainable Forest Management, PEFC forest certification is increasingly used by Australian and New Zealand businesses to demonstrate all important timber legality requirements both during procurement and at time of purchase.’
‘Increasingly forest certification isn’t just a matter of preference but a necessity for buyers looking to do the right thing,’ Mr Ross said.
New Zealand interest in the new forestry standard has been met with unprecedented interest, in May 2019, Simon Dorries indicated that a strong balance of Australian and New Zealand representation will be represented on the Standard Committee.
“Certainly the interest from New Zealand stakeholders has been high, on the balance Australian and New Zealand representation will be almost 50-50 with slightly greater representation from Australians,” Mr Dorries said.
For more information about the Sustainable Forest Management standard development process or PEFC more broadly please visit the Responsible Wood website
