The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has amended its trademarks rules to align label use with the requirements of EmpCo, tightening how certified companies may apply the PEFC label.

The change lands at the certification-body tier of the supply chain. It affects any mill, spinner or garment maker that holds PEFC chain-of-custody certification and prints the PEFC on-product label for cellulose-based fibres such as viscose and lyocell.

What does the amendment change?

PEFC sets the rules through its trademarks framework, which governs who may use the PEFC name and logo and under what claim conditions. The amendment brings label use into line with EmpCo, closing gaps between what a certificate covers and what a label on a finished textile product states.

For sourcing teams, the practical consequence is straightforward. Any supplier artwork that carries the PEFC label must now match the amended rules, and buyers auditing fibre-origin claims against PEFC documentation should check that current label approvals reflect the revised trademark terms.

Why it matters for textile sourcing

PEFC certification sits upstream in the textile chain, at the forest and pulp stage, before fibre production. Brands that make man-made cellulosic fibre claims — increasingly a due-diligence item under emerging deforestation and traceability regulation — rely on chain-of-custody documents plus label rights to substantiate those claims.

Ecotextile News reported the amendment on its radar feed. The report confirms the rule change at PEFC level; it does not state a phase-in date or a transition window for existing label holders.

What buyers should do now

Compliance teams should take three steps:

• Review current PEFC trademark licence agreements against the amended rules.
• Ask viscose and lyocell suppliers to confirm their label use matches the revised terms.
• Update artwork approval workflows so on-product PEFC claims pass the new trademark check before production.

The decision the news forces is a documentation one: verify label rights now, or risk a claim on finished goods that no longer matches the certification body's rules.