On the afternoon of June 10, 2022, in Ho Chi Minh City, SGS certification body cooperated with PEFC and the Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) to organize a technical workshop to introduce the national forest certification system VFCS and PEFC. Attending the workshop, there were over 80 delegates from more than 70 organizations and businesses operating in the field of wood processing, pellet production enterprises, woodchip and paper production enterprises, and forest owners, Vietnam Rubber Industry Corporation, the Vietnam Rubber Association and related parties.
At the workshop, after representatives of PEFC and VFCO introduced Vietnam Forest Certification Scheme (VFCS), the auditors of the SGS Certification Body shared their experience, requirements, certification process and applying the certificateof sustainable forest management VFCS/PEFC FM and the certificate of chain of custody PEFC CoC under VFCS . The experts of the SGS confirmed that the VFCS/PEFC certificate has many advantages and is suitable for Vietnam’s practice, which is a new opportunity on the certification journey for wood and forest product exports. This is also the reason why SGS certification body participates in providing VFCS/PEFC FM certification and PEFC CoC certification services to support domestic processing enterprises and forest owners.
Businesses that have been applying VFCS and PEFC certification also participated and shared at the workshop. Geuther company is a leading European enterprise providing children’s furniture with strict requirements from customers who have trusted and used PEFC certified wood for many years. Mr. Michel Bertsch, the company’s representative, affirmed that PEFC certificate is well known in Europe and Geuther company has many advantages when applying PEFC certified wood to export wooden products to this market. Sim Dong Jin, Sales Director of Han Gook Beob Rang Co., LTD (Han Quoc) shared the company’s success story when using wood materials certified under the PEFC system whichhas helped the company have outstanding success in terms of revenue, market development as well as the trust of customers.
At the discussion session, the VFCO representative the experience in developing smallholder group of sustainable forest management certication models as well as the outstanding advantages of the national forest certification scheme in comparison with other forest certification systerm.
SGS is the world’s leading prestigious certification body, especially in certification of sustainable forest management and the chain of custody of wood products. SGS’s participation in the VFCS demonstrates the confidence of international certification bodies in the prestige, value and influence of the VFCS/PEFC .
