In the 5 years since its establishment PEFC certification in Germany has been a complete success story. Two thirds of all German forests have been certified to the German PEFC standard and it has also proven to be ideally adapted to the needs of small-scale forest owners. Following a comprehensive review, the system has been submitted to the PEFC Council for re-endorsement until 2010 and is now in the public consultation period.

"The demand for PEFC certification in Germany is increasing, and companies that decided not to be PEFC certified 5 years ago, are now choosing PEFC as a means of improving their market access and as evidence of their support for sustainability", said Mr Dirk Teegelbekkers, PEFC Germany Secretary General. "The certification of small-scale forest ownership has been a special challenge for certification initiatives globally and I am delighted that with PEFC we have successfully solved this issue."
Before its submission, the German system had undergone a thorough review and revision process over a period of two years, facilitated by independent consultants, Systain. Stakeholder groups contributed their expertise into the process through working groups and public consultation seminars were held at national and regional level. Ecological and socio-economic standards of PEFC Germany were developed further, including its technical requirements and the marketing of PEFC.
The revision process of the certification system now concludes with its submission to the PEFC Council for re-assessment including a final public consultation at international level. "PEFC only allows national systems that have been developed and revised in multi-stakeholder processes to be assessed for endorsement", explained Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of the PEFC Council. Underlining PEFC's commitment to continuous improvement Mr Gunneberg added: "To include latest scientific knowledge and practical experience from the field, PEFC endorsed systems undergo a thorough re-evaluation process by independent external auditors, including a consultation period, every 5 years. I invite all interested parties and individuals to review the revised German system on our website www.pefc.org and send comments directly to the independent auditor Indufor Oy by 14 September 2005."
For details on the German system visit: http://www.pefc.org