Dutch NGO case against PEFC thrown out
8 October 2012A last-ditch attempt by NGOs to have PEFC certification removed from the list of schemes approved for Dutch government timber procurement has been thrown out by a board of appeal.
The SMK Board of Appeal dismissed the appeal, which had been launched by WWF Netherlands and four other Dutch NGOs after the Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee rejected their earlier objections against PEFC.
The decision, which is binding for all parties, ends a four-year process of wrangling.
PEFC expressed delight at the decision and was hopeful that "this decade-long campaign against PEFC" was now over.
But it could not disguise its frustration at having to spend so much of its resources fighting the case.
"While obviously pleased with the outcome, this process put a substantial strain on the resources of PEFC, which is the only global not-for-profit forest certification scheme, and reduced our ability to epand sustainable forest management to those areas of the globe in greatest need," said PEFC chairman William Street.
"On the other hand, this thorough investigation demonstrates that the claims that NGOs such as WWF have repeatedly made over the past years about PEFC do not hold water," he added.
