The manufacturer of coated fine paper has gained both FSC and PEFC accreditation, helping the group to reinforce its environmental credentials.

Berry Wiersum, who took over as SFPE chief executive on 2 April, said: “Environ­mental considerations are increasingly important in our industry.

“The Chain of Custody certifications underline our objective as being recognised as a proactive marketing-driven organisation.”

PEFC standards allow multi-site, cross-border certification, and the FSC standards currently only offer multinational organisations this type of certification within a pilot project.

Wiersum added: “Although the two schemes do not recognise each other, we believe that both are credible and will help sustain the forests and plantations where we source our wood and fibre.”

Wiersum has replaced Wolfgang Pfarl, who retired at the end of March. Pfarl spent nearly 40 years working in the group of companies that today form SFPE.

SFPE is a division of South African papermaker Sappi.