Aug 14, 2014. /Lesprom Network/. The national forest certification systems of Luxembourg, Malaysia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland have all achieved re-endorsement by PEFC. For Slovenia and Malaysia, this is the first time their national systems have been re-endorsed, with Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland achieving re-endorsement for the second time, as PEFC said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

In total, these five systems account for six and a half million hectares of sustainably managed forest, including some four million hectares of tropical forests located in Malaysia.

“We are heartened and encouraged by the continuing strong commitment of local stakeholders in the revision of their national forest certification standards, and we applaud everyone for their efforts,” said Ben Gunneberg, PEFC Secretary General and CEO.

PEFC International remains the only global forest certification system to limit endorsements of national systems to five years, requiring standards revisions before a system can re-apply for endorsement, which is only granted after a comprehensive, third-party assessment of compliance with PEFC’s Sustainability Benchmarks.