(Official PEFC communication)

PEFC invites you to comment on the PEFC revised Standard Setting standard – PEFC ST 1001:201X. 

This standard sets the rules for national standard development and revision. Core principles of the standard development are stakeholder engagement, balanced representation of different interests, consensus building, continuous improvement and transparency.

Improving the standard

The revised document introduces many improvements in document structure and clarity. More importantly, it introduces improvements to the standard setting itself, including:

• Inclusion of the nine major stakeholder groups of Agenda 21 (UNCED)
• Increased effort to get key stakeholders around the table
• Additional rounds of public consultation

By far the biggest change is the further detailing of the periodic review.

Standards need to be reviewed five years after their approval. While this is not a new requirement, the standard now specifies the exact steps of such a review: recording feedback on the standard during its application, performing a gap analysis at the start of the review, and organizing stakeholder consultation. 

Also new is the option of reaffirming an existing standard. When the review shows that the standard meets all current (stakeholder) needs, a revision would not be required and the standard can be reaffirmed.

Further information is available at the following LINK