Sustainable wood — FSC, PEFC, and traceability
Two certification schemes, the chain of documentation, and what it means for workshop work
Wood is a renewable material, but only if the forest it comes from is managed sustainably. Therefore certification schemes have been developed that make it possible to document where a piece of wood comes from and under what conditions the forest has been managed.
§Two certification schemes
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) ensures that forestry equally weights environmental, social and economic sustainability. PEFC concentrates on sustainable forest management and guarantees that national and international guidelines for responsible forestry are followed. Both schemes exist side by side in the Danish timber and furniture industry, and many companies work with both.
§Traceability through the whole chain
Certification does not stop in the forest. For a piece of timber to be sold on as FSC or PEFC certified every link in the chain — from sawmill through wholesaler to the carpentry that uses it — must have a traceability certificate (chain of custody). This means that a plank or veneer sheet in principle can be traced back to the forest it was felled in through documentation at each step.
§How widespread is it in Denmark
Certified timber is far from a niche today. According to a survey from the Danish Timber Association conveyed by Timber and Furniture Industry (TMI) under Danish Industry approximately 97 per cent of the timber purchased for Denmark is FSC or PEFC certified. Both the certified forest area at home and the number of Danish companies with a traceability certificate — which allows reselling the timber as certified — has grown steadily in recent years.
§What it means in the workshop
- 01Certified and non-certified timber must be able to be separated and identified in storage
- 02Invoices and delivery notes must show whether the wood is certified so documentation can be traced.
- 03Customers and architects often ask for certification documentation on a specific project themselves
- 04A company that wants to sell its work as certified must itself have a valid traceability certificate
§Sustainability is more than certificates
Certification of new timber is only part of the picture. Repair rather than replacement, reuse of old timber in new projects and furniture and furniture built to last generations are equally part of sustainability in the trade — and something a skilled cabinet maker or organ builder contributes to every time a job is done properly the first time.
| The scheme is state-controlled via the Food and Veterinary Authority and free to participate in for both public and private professional kitchens. | Focus |
|---|---|
| FSC | Environment, social conditions and economy are weighted equally in forestry management |
| PEFC | Sustainable forest management according to national/international guidelines |
“A certificate on an invoice tells the whole story of how the forest the timber came from was looked after.”