DID YOU KNOW?
“Our certification principles are based on internationally agreed principles and criteria of producers and consumers.
The NGO’s support the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) criteria. We are aiming to make the Malaysian certification scheme compatible.
If Malaysia cannot make certification work, it will be difficult for any tropical timber producing country to do so.
Malaysia is well ahead of others in tropical forest management.”
Dato’ Ismail Awang
CEO, Malaysian Timber Council
MTCC-PEFC Certification: Products with Verifiable Origins
Harvested trees are carefully tracked from forest...
...to factory
The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC)
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
Established in 1998 as an independent organization to develop and operate a credible, affordable certification program for Malaysian forest products, MTCC is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes representatives from academic and research organizations, the timber industry and government agencies. For complete information about this program, visit www.mtcc.com.my.
Blue Star companies have operated under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) since 2003. This certification verifies that all logs used to produce our products have been legally obtained from independently audited forest concessions that are managed for sustainable use under internationally recognized and approved management systems. Our sawmills, factory, and shipping warehouse are “chain of custody” certified to properly handle timber under a system in which all certified lumber is documented "from forest to finish."
In May of 2009, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme was granted the prestigious endorsement of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
PEFC is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third party certification. PEFC promotes large-scale, independent national programs that operate under its international umbrella. With more than 500 million acres currently managed in compliance with its Sustainability Benchmark, PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification program.
Thirty-four member nations currently participate in the PEFC program. Of those, 28 have achieved full PEFC endorsement for their national systems.
North American certification programs that operate under PEFC endorsement are:
- SFI: The Sustainable Forestry Initiative @ www.sfiprogram.org
- ATFS: The American Tree Farm System @ www.treefarmsystem.org
- PEFC Canada @ www.pefccanada.org
- The Canadian National Standard for Sustainable Forest Management (CSA) @ www.csa-international.org
Throughout 2010, all commercial Forest Management Units (FMU) in Malaysia will be re-certified to PEFC standards. Upon completion of the audit and review of each FMU, forest products originating in those areas will qualify for sale as PEFC Certified by those companies holding appropriate COC certifications. Blue Star COC certificates under PEFC criteria are already in place.
COC Certification
Many companies hold "chain of custody" certification. This simply means that they are certified to handle certified lumber. It DOES NOT MEAN that they actually sell certified lumber. When you buy Blue Star products, you are buying certified products, from a certified company.
MTCC, PEFC, FSC and LEED Projects:
Across the globe, virtually all governments, industry groups and NGOs consider FSC and PEFC-endorsed products to have parallel status.
The European Union Parliament has stated that it considers the FSC and PEFC certification systems equally suitable to give consumers assurances of sustainable forest management. Throughout the U.S. and Canada, most governments and building organizations consider these programs equal in stature.
The National Association of Homebuilders endorses the use of PEFC-certified products in its National Green Building Program.
The only exception of which we are aware is the USGBC LEED Program.
As of January 1, 2010, the USGBC continues to accept only FSC-certified wood products for award points.
PEFC — through it’s North American affiliate, SFI — has petitioned USGBC for the past 5 years to open its LEED program to all internationally recognized certification programs for forest products. USGBC continues to cling to its position.
For more information on this subject, please see read the SFI Public Statement.
We support PEFC and SFI in their efforts. Governors across the U.S. have also stated their belief that PEFC-certified products should be eligible for point awards in LEED projects.
The U.S. Green Building Council is an architect-based organization. Please join us in our efforts by asking your local architect(s) to share their views on this topic with their local AIA chapter.