Recently, the Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) organized an online workshop titled “Regulations on the Use of VFCS and PEFC Labels” to introduce the licensing framework, scope of use, and technical requirements for applying VFCS and PEFC labels, in accordance with the standards PEFC ST 2001:2020, VFCS/PEFC ST 1008:2022, and VFCS/PEFC GD 1009:2020.
Scope and Eligibility for Label Use
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Both VFCS and PEFC labels can be granted to:
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Group B: Forest owners
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Group C: Enterprises or facilities involved in the production and processing of wood and forest products
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Group D: Other organizations or individuals not belonging to Groups B or C — these may use the VFCS label for educational, promotional, or communication purposes related to the National Forest Certification System
The PEFC label, in addition to the above, may also be issued to Group A, which includes national governing bodies. In Vietnam, the Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS)/VFCO is the only national governing organization authorized by PEFC to use and manage the label.
On-Product and Off-Product Use
The PEFC label may be used:
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On product: Directly on tangible products, or indirectly in marketing materials referring to certified products or materials used in production.
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Off product: In any non-product-related context, such as advertising or corporate communications.
However, on-product use of the PEFC label is no longer permitted for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certificates granted to Group B (forest owners). It is now limited to entities holding Chain of Custody (CoC)certification under Group C. Additionally, retailers (Group D) may use on-product PEFC labeling indirectly to refer to certified products.
In contrast, the VFCS label is restricted to off-product use only, serving purposes such as communication, education, and promotion. When organizations wish to use the VFCS label for training, workshops, or awareness campaigns on the National Forest Certification System, VFCO may grant one-time approval for such uses.
Practical Guidance and Label Generator
At the workshop, representatives from Binh Thuan Rubber One Member Co., Ltd. presented a demonstration on using the PEFC Label Generator — an online tool that allows businesses to create their own PEFC labels conveniently while ensuring compliance with PEFC regulations.
Through this method, enterprises can generate and use approved labels immediately without submitting them back to VFCO or PEFC for pre-approval. However, in special cases, such as when:
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label color adjustments are required (e.g., when the logo color matches the background),
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logo visibility is compromised,
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or the label size is too small to display legible text (such as on pencils or small tools),
businesses must obtain prior approval from the PEFC Council before use.
Transition to New Standards and Mandatory Label Agreements
VFCO also reminded enterprises certified under earlier standards that they must be re-evaluated according to the new standard PEFC ST 2001:2020 (Rules for PEFC Label Use) by no later than November 14, 2023.
Furthermore, signing a label-use agreement has become a mandatory requirement, even for companies that have not yet sold certified products.