"By opting for PEFC‐labelled products consumers can all make our own small yet important contribution to avoid deforestation and support responsible forest management”, highlighted Mr William Street Jr., Chairman of PEFC International, at the Forest Certification Leaders' summit held yesterday in London.

“At a time when the world’s governments, businesses and civil society leaders are focusing on developing global commitments to combat climate change, to be agreed at the Climate Summit in Paris in December this year, consumers can already participate in making a difference”, Mr Street added.

According to a recent PEFC survey, more than 2/3 of consumers globally think that opting for a labeled certified product, from sustainably managed forests, can have a positive impact on the environment.

During the London summit, the panels also discussed the importance of well-managed woodlands, underlining targets and achievements of PEFC's approach. "Since PEFC started some 15 years ago, as a small European NGO, our movement has rapidly expanded to a worldwide phenomenon and now more than 260 million hectares of forests worldwide are verified as being sustainably managed. To put this in scale, that is an area equivalent to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Finland combined", explained Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International.

“Nowadays, we see tremendous interest in our work especially in Asia, where we have seen China, Indonesia and Malaysia obtaining PEFC recognition in the past few years. This has been acting as a catalyst to inspire other countries in the region, such as India, Japan, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam, to follow their example of promoting sustainable forest management and PEFC certification. We are about to make great strides in Africa in the Congo Basin were we expect to see the first certifications shortly,” Mr Gunneberg concluded.