The Dutch Timber Procurement Assessment Committee (TPAC) has rejected a complaint by five NGOs over the suitability of PEFC-certified timber for use in the country’s public procurement.
TPAC confirmed that PEFC International complies with the Dutch Public Procurement Criteria for Timber.
It concluded there were “no grounds for revising its final judgement on PEFC International” and reconfirmed that the certification scheme provided the guarantee that national systems comply with the TPAS (Timber Procurement Assessment System) criteria.
In its original assessment of PEFC last year, TPAC gave PEFC a score of 2 (the highest score) for 15 principles and a score of 1 for three principles.
WWF Netherlands, Greenpeace, Netherlands Centre for Indigenous People, the Dutch Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation, and Friends of the Earth Netherlands took issue with the assessment.
TPAC’s response effectively highlights that certification systems cannot be held responsible for issues beyond their control.
It said the complaint that PEFC decision-making bodies do not comprise certain interested groups was countered by the fact that “interested groups often voluntarily choose not to participate in the PEFC decision-making bodies in spite of being invited”.
“This may also be caused by the fact that FSC International does not allow its board members to also participate in the decision-making bodies of another certification system,” TPAC said.
