The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are the two most known wood certification programmes in the world. They both guarantee that the wood from a certain forest is grown and harvested sustainably.
Using responsibly-sourced timber and softwood has become more and more crucial to mitigating climate change, which currently undermines all natural ecosystems. We rely on these to satisfy our basic needs, including food, health, and shelter.
FSC and PEFC are international, non-governmental organisations with the same exact aim: to support responsible forestry across the world. The UK Government recognises both standards, as they both meet the requirements for responsibly sourced timber.
There is only one small difference between the two certifications.
We look at each programme in detail below.
The FSC scheme was developed in 1994 to promote the adoption of sustainable forestry in tropical environments. It certifies more than 195 million hectares of forest in over 80 countries.
FSC operates following ten principles. These include conserving or restoring ecosystem services, avoiding or mitigating negative environmental impacts, maintaining or enhancing the social and economic wellbeing of local communities and workers, and more. You can read about these in detail here.
FSC is the most known certification across the UK, as it is the most widely used in the country.
PEFC was founded in the late 1990s, after FSC, to provide a certification suited for European and North American forests. It certifies wood in 51 countries for a total of 311 million hectares of forests. This makes PEFC the largest wood certification system in the world.
The principles PEFC follows are very similar to those observed by FSC. It strives to maintain the biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, and vitality of forests while causing no damage to other ecosystems. Economic and social functions at local, national, and global levels are also key.
Moreover, PEFC places emphasis on transparency, making all stages of the certification standard and scheme accessible.
You can find out more about PEFC’s guiding principles and objectives here.
Both FSC and PEFC manage forests to strict environmental, social, and economic standards. The only real difference between the two is the areas in which they operate.
However, FSC is better known in the UK than PEFC. This can prevent customers, architects, and builders alike from buying equally sustainable wood.
At Chart Garages, we use both FSC-certified and PEFC-certified timber, depending on their availability.
We build high quality garages, workshops, carports, and carriage houses with sustainably sourced wood at the Chart workshop in Kent.
Our timber buildings are designed to be practical and affordable and include a range of optional features, such as weatherboarding, personal doors, and UPVC windows.
