FOREST CERTIFICATION
Forest certification is a voluntary process through which an independent third party assures, with a certificate, that forests are being managed in conjunction with previously established criteria and regulations. There are two main types of certificates. The Forest Management Certification recognizes that the management of a forest property complies with every required standard outlined in the certificate, guaranteeing that forest’s sustainability. Additionally, the Chain of Custody Certification guarantees the traceability of products coming from certified forests throughout the entire chain of production.
Currently, the two most recognized certificates at the international level are the FSC (www.fsc.org) and the PEFC (www.pefc.org).
FSC is a nongovernmental organization comprised of representatives from social and environmental groups, dealers in wood and other forestry products, indigenous organizations, community forestry groups, and international forestry products certification organizations. The FSC model hopes to ensure that wood used in factories to make any number of products comes from a certified forest in accordance with the principles defined by FSC, which include environmental, social, and economic criteria.
Additionally, the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, PEFC, emerged as an initiative of the private forestry sector in Europe. It is based on the criteria agreed upon in the European Interministerial Conferences regarding the protection of the Helsinkiy Lisboa forest. It is comprised of national organizations, with a total of 35 countries around the world. Among them, most of the countries are from the European Union, such as Spain, France, Finland, etc., as well as others from outside of Europe, such as Canada, Chile, Australia, etc.
Our work serves to adapt the systems of forestry or industry management so they comply with the stated standards, as well as to complete any necessary work in order to pass the certification audit.
EUTR Regulations
These regulations establish obligations that agents who import and market wood and products made from wood should follow within the European Union.
GEA Forestal develops the due diligence dystems that companies need in order to comply with these regulations, and conduct second-party audits in the countries where the wood originated to verify its legality.
Quality Systems
Quality systems help companies improve their methods of operation and identify resources and objectives with the end goal of optimizing their production processes.
There are various regulations and requirements for the implementation of a quality system– the ISO regulations are used most often.
At GEA Forestal, we implement the necessary management systems to gain access to the ISO 9.001 and ISO 14.001 certificates.