CPET stakeholder consultation on certification schemes compliance

Consultation now closed

CPET invited all stakeholders to submit evidence of certification schemes compliance in preparation of the biennial review of the schemes to monitor continued compliance with UK government timber procurement policy.

The Criteria for Evaluating Category A Evidence have now been updated to include the new social criteria and two new assessment criteria on ‘Conversion; and ‘National level application’. CPET would like to thank all the stakeholders who provided comments on the draft criteria through the consultation.

A summary of the comments received during the social criteria consultation is available on Defra’s website here and the comments received by CPET on the criteria on ‘Conversion; and ‘National level application’ are available here. All comments were reviewed and proposed changes were referred to CPET Reference Board. Following comments from the Board the criteria were finalised.

The updated criteria are available for download here: Criteria for Evaluating Certification Schemes (Category A Evidence) Third Edition (April 2010) (PDF)

The forest certification schemes approved as 'Category A evidence' are reviewed biennially to ensure that they continue to provide evidence of compliance. The 2010 review has now been initiated and will cover a full review of the schemes: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Both schemes have made changes to their standards and reference documents in the past two years.

This year’s review will not include a full review of SFI, CSA and MTCS, as they are all endorsed by PEFC. The review will include both random samples as well as specifically selected FSC and PEFC national schemes, all of which will be assessed against the new Social and ‘Conversion’ criteria in the context of the ‘National level application’ criterion.

As a part of the 2010 review of certification schemes to monitor their continued compliance with UK government timber procurement policy evidence of non-compliance submitted by stakeholders will also be considered.

CPET therefore invited stakeholders to provide evidence of non-compliance by PEFC, FSC and their national schemes. Non-compliances may relate to either:

-  failure by a scheme’s documented requirements to meet one of the criteria set out in Criteria for Evaluating Certification Schemes (Category A Evidence) Third Edition (April 2010)

-  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.

Evidence submitted will be checked as set out in Section 2.1.3 of the Methodology for reviews of timber certification schemes (March 2008).

The comment period closed on 14^th May 2010, 12 pm.