The SFI advertiser profile (TTJ January 22/29) has caused some readers to contact Defra and query the government’s assessment of the SFI certification scheme. To set the record straight I would like to clarify the government’s position.
The government has concluded that SFI’s forest management standards and chain of custody system do meet the government’s contract criteria for assurance of legal harvesting but do not provide the required assurance of sustainable forest management. The issue for the government is not with SFI’s forest management standards, but with the chain of custody system which does not enable the consumer to determine the percentage of certified timber in the finished product. The government could accept a combination of an SFI certificate and additional verification of the certified timber element but, as matters stand, a certificate alone would not suffice.
The full report on the five main certification schemes can be found on the sustainable development in government website at: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/pdf/f-cpet.pdf
Claire Treliving
PCD Defra
