UK Government invites all stakeholders to submit evidence of certification schemes' compliance in preparation for the review of the schemes to monitor continued compliance with the UK Government's Timber Procurement Policy (TPP). Comments can be submitted using the online survey until the deadline (30 March 2025). Note that questions can be skipped if there are no comments.
Why are we carrying out a consultation? The forest certification schemes approved as 'Category A evidence' are reviewed periodically to ensure that they continue to provide evidence of compliance. The 2025 review will cover a review of the schemes: Grown in Britain (GiB), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
What has changed since the last consultation? Both FSC and PEFC have made changes to their standards and reference documents since the previous review, and GiB is being assessed for the first time in this 2025 TPP review. The Criteria for Evaluating Category A Evidence have been updated (and can be accessed here) to revise references from the 'EU Timber Regulation' (EUTR) to the 'UK Timber Regulation' (UKTR). Note that EUTR has still been included where relevant due to its ongoing application in Northern Ireland, as detailed in Section 1.1.
What can stakeholders comment on? Stakeholders are invited to provide evidence of non-compliance by GiB, PEFC, FSC and their national schemes. Non-compliances may relate to either:
1) failure by a scheme’s documented requirements to meet one of the criteria set out in Criteria for Evaluating Certification Schemes (Category A Evidence) 5th edition, February 2025.
2) failure by a scheme to implement its own documented requirements. Please note that it is expected that the schemes’ official complaints procedures have been pursued where appropriate.
3) Evidence submitted will be checked as set out in Section 4.3.3 of the Methodology for reviews of timber certification schemes, 4th edition (February 2025), available here.
Comments referring to the actual outcome of certification in the forest cannot be considered. In order to be used in the review process, comments must be supported by objective verifiable evidence. If further information or clarification is required, the party that submitted the comment may be contacted, particularly where there are discrepancies between information received from stakeholders and from schemes.
Please note that this stakeholder review is specific to the ability of forest certification schemes to demonstrate compliance with the UK Government's Timber Procurement Policy and is not related to compliance with the UK Government's Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity.
The comment period will close on 30 March 2025, 11:59PM.
If you have any questions about the stakeholder consultation or methodology for the scheme review, please email info@efeca.com.