The FSC has said working practice differences would prove a significant barrier in any joint venture with the PEFC to ease the lack of certified stock available in the UK.
The comments follow industry calls for an increase in the amount of FSC- and PEFC-accredited forests, which currently stands at around 7% worldwide.
PEFC Council secretary general Ben Gunneberg said that no approaches had been made by the FSC. "However, we would welcome a more in-depth dialogue and our door has been, and always remains, open," he added.
FSC international head of operations Andre de Freitas highlighted the "substantial differences" between FSC and PEFC. "All FSC standards are publicly available, free of charge. Additionally, FSC does not allow the certification of conversion of natural forests or genetically modified organisms."
The FSC does, however, recognise the need for more stock. Rosie Teasdale, FSC UK marketing officer, said there had been a considerable increase in demand from the paper sector in the UK.
"We need to continue increasing the amount of FSC certified forest to ensure we meet this."
Paper certification was on the minds of the audience at the Publishing Expo 2008 on 13-14 February at Olympia, London.
Peter Sommerfield, Denmaur Papers’ marketing director, said publishers should not narrow their objectives too hastily, citing the championing of one forest certification standard over another as an example.
Haymarket Group production director Chris King said: "Only 7% of the world’s forests are certified, so the issue now is to improve on this."
As both FSC and PEFC stocks offer evidence of responsible environmental sourcing of paper, "the debate should be about the supply of one certified stock", he added.
Source: printweek
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment