Promoting sustainable forest management
Eucalypt plantations – fibres for smoothness
How the PEFC certification scheme works
Forest management certification
The PEFC process involves formal forest certification.
This is an assessment from an independent, qualified and accredited, third-party expert who inspects and audits the operations and processes. When satisfied that the operations meet the detailed criteria of the country’s standard, the expert can certify that the forest is sustainably managed.
The Australian Forestry Standard, AS 4708–20071, sets detailed criteria for sustainable forest management in Australia. Most of Kimberly-Clark Australia’s wood supplies for making fibre at our mills are from pine plantations certified to this Australian Standard®.
Chain of custody certification
A chain of custody audit checks the quantities of certified wood at every stage in the supply chain from the forest to the final user.
This is monitored through the invoicing process and the PEFC logo on the product has a code that confirms that the item is genuinely certified under the PEFC scheme. The PEFC code for Kimberly-Clark Australia is 21-31-18.
The certification by independent, third-party auditors under the PEFC scheme involves detailed procedures that bring together separate audits and certification of the following processes:
- wood production is covered in Australia by the Australian Standard® AS 4708–2007, ensuring that certified forests supplying wood are sustainably managed.
- we use certified fibre from various sources to make our products and our certified wood is measured with detailed ‘chain of custody’ methods so that fibre produced from certified wood can be verified2.
- tissue products audit – the chain of custody audit extends to certify the required level of fibres in our tissue products, necessary for certification under PEFC3.
Forest management certification |
Growing trees in forests 
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Wood production |
Wood harvesting (logging)
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Chain of custody certification |
Transport and supply
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Fibre production |
Processing the wood into fibre (pulping)
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Supply of fibres (‘pulp’) for tissue making
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Tissue products |
Manufacturing tissue paper products |
Footnotes
- Australian Standard® AS 4708–2007, “Forest management – Economic, social, environmental and cultural criteria and requirements for wood production” (known as The Australian Forestry Standard) [PDF, 88 pages, 1.12 MB]
- Australian Standard® AS 4707–2006, “Chain of custody for certified wood and forest products”, [PDF, 48 pages, 1.14 MB]
- PEFC certification requires that wood products, including fibres and paper, must have a minimum of 70% of fibre from forests certified by any of the PEFC-endorsed sustainable forest management schemes.