The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) (1) schemes is celebrating a significant achievement with the news that all 18million copies of the latest Argos shopping catalogue now carry the PEFC logo.

The success of having such a prominent and widely distributed publication bearing PEFC endorsement is a huge testament to how far PEFC has come since its inception, and a reflection of its recent achievements over the past 12 months, particularly in the UK.

Commenting on the award, Laurence Singer, Corporate Responsibility Manager, Home Retail Group, said “As a leading high street retailer committed to sourcing from sustainably-managed forests, Argos is proud to demonstrate its support for responsible forest management by being able to provide our customers with the assurance that the source material for our catalogues can be traced back to forests certified to a credible certification standard such as PEFC’s”.

Argos is a unique retailer recognised for choice, value and convenience. It sells general merchandise and products for the home from over 700 stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, online and over the telephone.
The latest edition of the catalogue, which was launched in Argos shops on 25th July, carries the PEFC logo on its spine. On average, 17 million UK households, or around two thirds of the population, have an Argos catalogue at home.
Argos serves over 130 million customers a year through its stores and takes four million customer orders either online or over the phone. Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK’s leading home and general merchandise retailer.

Since its inception in 1999 as the Pan European Forest Certification (2) scheme, membership has grown from the original eleven founding European countries to become a truly global scheme encompassing thirty four countries on six continents; with the Netherlands and Ireland joining the PEFC family in 2008, followed most recently by Malaysia and Gabon. 

As a result, PEFC now endorses twenty eight national certification schemes across the globe. The 220 million certified hectares managed by these member schemes are now delivering millions of tonnes of certified material into the global marketplace to meet the ever increasing demand for certified wood products. At present, the global tally of chain of custody certificates is fast approaching 5,000 and over 30,000 logo licences have so far been issued.