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PEFC hosts first in-person gathering of certification and accreditation bodies

In June PEFC welcomed experts from across the globe to the first in-person gathering of accreditation bodies and certification bodies. The event fostered open collaboration and sharing of insights on the implementation of the standards. Source: Timberbiz PEFC also introduced new data projects and strategy led by three core values: Data Integrity – ensuring all required data is captured and accurate. Data Access – verifying certification and demonstrating impact. Data Efficiency – Improved data user experience and interfaces. Forty-eight participants from around the world, including representatives from certification bodies including Preferred by Nature, Control Union, SGS, Intertek, DNVGL, BM Certification SIA, BMC Assurance , NSF, GFA, FCBA, BV France, HW-Zert, BM Trada, SCS Global Services, Soil Association, Holzforschung Austria and Wood.be attended. Representatives from accreditation bodies who joined included Accredia, COFRAC, CAI and TUNAC. “Working closely with accreditation bodies and certification bodies on the development and implementation of our standards is a key for our success,” Rob Shaw, Head of Standards and Integrity at PEFC International said. “I particularly appreciated the open and honest dialogue allowing us to explore challenges, such as attracting new generations to the audit profession, and how we can address them together.” The transition from RED II to RED III and the upcoming accreditation requirements sparked serious discussions in the PEFC RED standards session, especially around how biomass can be audited using PEFC’s framework. Participants showed great interest in PEFC RED certification and recognised its significant potential to support companies. PEFC technology partners CommonShare, LiveEO, and Osapiens gave presentations on how digital tools, satellite data, and smarter systems can make auditing and information sharing more reliable and transparent. Technology has an important role to play in the future of certification. Digital innovations being introduced at PEFC were shown by walking participants through the development of the new RED database, FREDII. This database is bringing PEFC into a new digital area, and PEFC is working on applying these innovations to the full certification system in a new database. Significant emphasis was given to the crucial role of stakeholders including PEFC national members, certification and accreditation bodies, and organisations throughout the development process. The representative from Accredia introduced the accreditability evaluation for international standards, which enables certification bodies to be accredited under the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). An update was given on the accreditation status of the PEFC EUDR DDS standard, with the final evaluation expected by the end of July. Once finalised, certification bodies based in EA countries can apply to their accreditation bodies to extend their 17065 accreditation scope to cover the PEFC EUDR DDS module. Speakers shared updates on ongoing projects on circular economy, project certification, new requirements for certification bodies providing sustainable forest management certification, trees outside forests, and approaches to demonstrate positive impact in plantation forests This face-to-face meeting was a unique chance to connect, exchange ideas, and lay the foundation for even stronger collaboration in the future.