Sustainable forest management to unlock the door to the EUDR

To date, Cambodia has yet to establish a national system for sustainable forest management. However, Chu Se Kampong Thom Rubber Joint Stock Company (located in Kampong Thom province, Cambodia) has become one of the first member companies of the Vietnam Rubber Group to successfully meet the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Chu Se Kampong Thom was able to meet the EUDR early because the company boldly adopted the PEFC standard for sustainable forest protection and management. As a result, in April 2023, Chu Se Kampong Thom became the first entity in Cambodia to receive PEFC Chain of Custody certification.

Speaking at the PEFC Forestry Forum 2025: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Forest Management, Mr. Bui Quang Trung Thuan, a representative of Chu Se Kampong Thom, noted that the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sustainable forest certification standard does not yet fully meet all EUDR requirements, particularly those related to due diligence and geolocation information. Nevertheless, PEFC remains a highly valuable tool in preventing deforestation and forest degradation. By applying PEFC, especially the PEFC EUDR Due Diligence System (DDS), the company has built a traceability system and responsible supply chain management, laying a solid foundation to comply with the EUDR.

At the PEFC Forestry Forum 2025: Shaping the Future of Sustainable Forest Management, representatives from various agencies and organizations praised PEFC's role in promoting sustainable forest management certification in Vietnam.

Mr. Ngo Sy Hoai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association, shared that Vietnam’s timber industry currently ranks fifth globally. When it comes to household and wooden furniture specifically, Vietnam is second only to China. As such, the local forestry industry places great importance on sustainable forest management certifications.

Mr. Hoai emphasized that implementing sustainable forest management under the Vietnam Forest Certification System (VFCS) recognized by the international Programme for the PEFC in October 2020 has significantly contributed to the growth of Vietnam's timber community in recent years. Forest enterprises and smallholder tree growers continuously strive to expand areas certified for sustainable forest management.

Speaking at the PEFC Forestry Forum 2025, Mr. Nguyen Van Dien, Deputy Director General of the Forestry and Forest Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), stated that this forum was designed explicitly for Vietnamese businesses, neighboring countries, and global PEFC members. The goal is to introduce the process of Chain of Custody certification and sustainable forest management not only to meet legality requirements but also to serve as a powerful driver for long-term value creation, resilience, and innovation in forest-based industries.

According to Prof. Dr. Vo Dai Hai, Director General of the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences (VAFS), Vietnam began engaging with PEFC in 2014 and officially became its 50th member in 2020. Since then, Vietnam has made commendable progress in sustainable forest management, with 659,000 hectares of forest certified for sustainability, including over 215,000 hectares certified under PEFC standards.

The PEFC Forestry Forum is an annual event organized by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Vietnam is the co-host of the PEFC Forestry Forum 2025, held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Sustainable Forest Management” from May 5 to 10, 2025, in Ho Chi Minh City.

The forum focuses on key issues related to sustainable forest management, including climate change mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement, biodiversity conservation through the Global Biodiversity Framework, and compliance with EUDR on deforestation-free production.

In 2024, PEFC introduced a revised Sustainable Forest Management standard to align with the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Key updates include clearer forest type classifications, mandatory geographic coordinates, refined definitions of deforestation and forest degradation in line with EUDR, and the promotion of the role of Trees Outside Forests (TOF) in PEFC’s sustainable supply chains.

PEFC is the world’s largest sustainable forest management certification system, covering over 308 million hectares, accounting for 60% of all certified forest areas globally. It maintains comprehensive databases to ensure easy access to relevant information about certificate holders, logo & label users, certified products, accredited certification bodies, and PEFC-endorsed national certification schemes.