Northumberland has played host to a visit by some of the UK’s largest users of wood and paper products, during an annual field trip organised by leading international sustainability group PEFC.
Representatives were from a range of organisations including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, B&Q, Brookfield Multiplex, Scottish Woodlands, the Timber Trades Federation, HSBC, Network Rail and John Lewis. All of these companies use, or trade in, certified products.
The group stayed at Matfen Hall Hotel and visited a certified woodland site in Wolsingham as well as touring the EGGER chipboard factory in Hexham and the SCA tissue mill in Prudhoe.
Simon Hart, general manager at EGGER Forest Management and a PEFC UK board member commented: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to show fellow PEFC members a certified woodland site and also the scale of operations at EGGER.
“Delegates went away with a better understanding of what sustainable forest management actually means out in the woods. They also learnt how certification and third party auditing provides the crucial link between sustainable forests and the timber and paper products they use in their businesses.”
The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forestry through independent third-party certification.
As the world’s largest forest certification system, it works throughout the entire supply chain to ensure wood and paper products are produced with respect for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards.