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How PEFC forest certification guarantees responsible wood sourcing for pallets — and why it matters more every year for companies buying packaging in the EU.
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is the world's largest forest certification system by certified area. Created in 1999, it is present in 55 countries and certifies more than 300 million hectares of forest.
PEFC rests on two complementary pillars: sustainable forest management certification (forests are harvested responsibly) and chain of custody (CoC) certification, which traces the wood through every processing step, from the log to the finished product.
France — where all our pallets are sourced — is one of the most advanced countries in PEFC certification. 100% of French state forests (managed by the national forestry office, ONF) are PEFC certified, i.e. 5.1 million hectares, alongside a significant share of communal and private forests.
For the pallet sector, this means that a large part of the softwood used in France (pine, fir, spruce) already comes from certified forests. Buying pallets from a 100% French supply chain is not just an environmental stance — it is a documented reality of the French forestry industry, and a practical advantage when your auditors ask where the wood comes from.
70% of consumers consider it important that companies use PEFC certification for their products and packaging. More and more industrial buyers — retail, automotive, chemicals — now include responsible wood sourcing criteria in their supplier requirements, in every EU market.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), with application scheduled for 30 December 2026, will require companies to prove that their wood-based products do not contribute to deforestation. PEFC certification makes that compliance far easier by providing a documented chain of traceability from the forest to the finished product.
Anticipate the EUDR: from the end of 2026, companies will have to document the origin of the wood in their supply chains. Working now with suppliers whose wood comes from certified forestry chains means being ahead of the obligation — not scrambling after it.
For companies subject to sustainability reporting (CSRD and national equivalents), using wooden pallets from certified forestry chains is a concrete, verifiable indicator of responsible sourcing — a tangible line for your sustainability reports.
Both certifications pursue the same goal of sustainable forest management, with different approaches. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council, created in 1993) has a centralised international governance. PEFC works by mutual recognition of national schemes, which makes it better suited to small forest owners — the majority of privately owned forest in Europe.
In France, PEFC is far more widespread than FSC in terms of certified area. Both certifications are recognised by markets and industrial buyers across the EU.
Beyond forest certification, the wooden pallet is intrinsically a circular-economy product. It is repairable (an EPAL pallet can be repaired and put back into circulation several times), recyclable (end-of-life wood becomes particle board or biomass energy), and made from a renewable resource.
In France, the reuse and recycling rate of wooden pallets exceeds 80% — one of the most circular packaging types in the logistics industry. See how reuse changes the real cost of a pallet →
DirectPAL is part of this circular loop: we buy back and revalue used pallets — collection, sorting, repair, reconditioning — on sites located in France. Every pallet recovered is a pallet that does not need to be manufactured. International group with French sites? Offer us your used pallets →
Official sources:
PEFC International — the programme for the endorsement of forest certification, present in 55 countries.
PEFC France — the French national scheme, chain of custody certification for wood processors.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) — the internationally recognised alternative certification.