Products manufactured with wood from Russia or Belarus will no longer receive a PEFC certificate. With immediate effect, it is classed as so-called „conflict timber“. This was decided by the Executive Board of PEFC International at an extraordinary meeting in response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The categorisation of timber from Russia and Belarus/Belarus as „conflict timber“ follows the adoption of the resolution on aggression against Ukraine by the United Nations General Assembly, which „strongly condemns the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine [...] [and] the involvement of Belarus“.
The PEFC Chain of Custody standard considers „conflict wood“ as a so-called „controversial source“ that cannot be used in PEFC-certified product groups.
„Conflict timber“ is defined as „timber that has been traded at any point in the supply chain by armed groups, whether rebel groups or regular soldiers, or by a civil administration involved in an armed conflict or its representatives, either to sustain the conflict or for personal gain from conflict situations.“
PEFC is the largest institution for ensuring and marketing sustainable forest management through an independent certification system.
