Sourcing Sustainably – Meet Your Certified Supplier
Standards and Guides
“The documents that make up the Responsible Wood Certification Scheme determine the specific steps stakeholders must take as they develop their national forest certification system, through to the requirements that companies must meet to achieve Responsible Wood Chain of Custody certification.”
We distinguish between four different document types:
International standards are applied directly in the field. These include the PEFC standards for Chain of Custody, Trademarks and Certification Body Requirements for Chain of Custody, used by thousands of companies, certification bodies and accreditation bodies around the world.
National standards are developed by Responsible Wood for both Sustainable Forest Management and Chain of Custody are developed from PEFC benchmark standards.
To access all standards, please visit the resources library. Or click the links to the right?
Procedural documents govern the functioning of the PEFC and Responsible Wood systems itself. This category includes the procedure for the assessment and endorsement of national standards (including Responsible Wood). It also covers various administrative procedures for our national members and us, such as issuing PEFC trademark licences.
Guidance documents, as the name suggests, provide additional guidance for users of some of our other standards.
Some of the key documents at a glance
Sustainable Forest Management, PEFC ST 1003
This benchmark lays out the international requirements for sustainable forest management. Developed by a working group with representation of all relevant stakeholders, it describes the criteria and indicators we believe are vital for the sustainable management of a forest.
Every national forest management standard must address these requirements to achieve PEFC endorsement. On the ground, this benchmark is the basis for the requirements that forest owners or managers must meet to achieve PEFC certification at local level, making it one of our most important standards.
Group Forest Management Certification, PEFC ST 1002
This benchmark defines the general requirements for national forest certification systems with group forest management certification. Stakeholders use this benchmark when they develop their national group certification requirements. It covers aspects such as the minimum requirements for internal monitoring and auditing within a certified group – a vital process if group certification is to be effective.
Group certification enables the certification of a number of forest owners/managers under one certificate. Developed by us two decades ago, it allows groups of small-forest landholders to organize themselves, pool their resources, and work together to achieve certification. This makes certification accessible for small-forest owners.
AS/NZS 4708:2021 – Sustainable Forest Management principles
In December 2021, Responsible Wood published the new AS/NZS 4708 – Sustainable Forest Management principles standard. The new standard underpins the Responsible Wood sustainable forest management scheme in Australia and the PEFC sustainable forest management scheme in New Zealand and replaces AS 4708 and NZS AS 4708
Previous Standards
AS 4708 – Sustainable Forest Management
The Australian Standard® for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) provides forest managers with economic, social, environmental and cultural criteria and requirements that support management of forests for products and services.
The Australian Standard® for Sustainable Forest Management (AS 4708) is developed in accordance with Responsible Wood Standards Development Policies and Procedures and have been accredited as Australian Standards®.
The Standard is used by all participants in the Responsible Wood certification scheme.
NZ AS 4708 – Sustainable Forest Management
The New Zealand Standard® for Sustainable Forest Management (NZS AS 4708) provides forest managers with economic, social, environmental and cultural criteria and requirements that support management of forests for products and services.
The Standard is used by all participants in the New Zealand PEFC certification scheme.
4708 and NZS AS 4708.
Chain of Custody, PEFC ST 2002
This standard lays out the requirements for chain of custody certification for forest and tree based products – the conditions a company must meet in order to achieve PEFC certification. During the certification process, the certification body will assess the company against the requirements set out in this document. If the company complies, they will receive their PEFC chain of custody certificate.
PEFC chain of custody establishes the link from the forest to the market, tracking forest and tree based products from sustainable sources to the final product. In addition, this standard includes management requirements, including on health, safety and labour issues.
The revised 2020 version of this standard replaced the previous 2013 version on 14 February 2020. The transition date is 14 August 2022. After this, companies still certified against the 2013 version will need to prepare their system according to the 2020 version, in preparation for certification against this version during their next external audit.
AS 4707 – Chain of Custody of Forest Products
The Australian Standard® for Chain of Custody of Forest Products (AS 4707) provides all organisations in the wood or forest products certification chain with the minimum criteria and requirements to implement a credible system. This system tracks wood or forest products originating from certified forests through all phases of ownership, transportation and manufacturing to the end consumer.
The Australian Standard® for Chain of Custody of Forest Products (AS 4707) is developed in accordance with Responsible Wood Standards Development Policies and Procedures and have been accredited as Australian Standards®.
The Standard is used by all participants in the Responsible Wood certification scheme.
AS 4707:2021 Chain of Custody for Forest and Tree-based products
In September 2021, Responsible Wood released the new AS4707 – Chain of Custody for Forest and Tree-based products. The new standard provides all organisations in the wood or forest products certification chain with the minimum criteria and requirements to implement a credible system in Australia.
