The first meeting of Standards Revision Working Group 2 aims to discover more ways to enable smallholders access to forest certification, independent of region and socioeconomic condition
Standards Revision Working Group 2 is responsible for the revision of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)’s Group Certification Standard and the development of a set of requirements for certification bodies operating audits in forest management.
The importance of strengthening the management system approach and of clearly describing the interaction between group members and management was emphasized by representatives from the accreditation community. While the current standard already responds to these issues, their further development will support the use and expand the application of the standard.
Other important areas of discussion included internal audit procedures on how sampling is applied. For instance, technologies such as remote sensing can contribute to further enhancing the transparency and credibility of certification of large groups.
“This revised standard will enable us to improve the support we provide to small- and family forest owners around the world, ensuring we continue to be the certification system of choice for smallholders,” said Michael Berger, Head of Technical Unit at PEFC International, following the conclusion of the working group meeting.
