CERTIFICATION
PROGRAMME

OVERVIEW

MTCC started operating its timber certification programme known as
the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) in October 2001
which comprises two components as below:

HOW TO BECOME MTCS/ PEFC CERTIFIED?

Certify Your Forests

Forest management certification under the MTCS provides forest owners and managers with independent recognition, confirming that forest management practices at their Forest Management Unit (FMU) or Forest Plantation Management Unit (FPMU) meet the requirements of the best practices in sustainable forest management.  

Who Should Get Certified?

  • Forest owners / Forest concession holders / Forest managers
  • Forest plantation owners
  • Community forest owners

How to Apply?

All applications for Certificate for Forest Management or Certificate for Forest Plantation Management must be submitted to PEFC Notified Certification Bodies (CBs). The CBs are responsible to process applications, conduct audits and issue certificates to eligible applicants.   

GET PREPARED

STEP 1

Prepare for the Audit

  1. Get familiar with the MTCS forest certification standard below:
  2. Set up your management system in compliance with the MTCS/PEFC requirements.

STEP 2

Select a PEFC Notified Certification Body (CB)

Select an appropriate accredited CB and establish initial contact with the CB by phone, email or personal meeting.

A certification body has its own procedures in processing application. A guidance will be provided to you upon the establishment of the initial contact. The following steps are generally applied in processing application to obtain certification for forest management:

STEP 3

Provide preliminary information on the intended area to be certified

Submit related documents to the chosen accredited CB for a preliminary assessment of your forest management practices against the MC&I SFM standard, and ensure that all the requirements for certification are fulfilled. Based on the information obtained, the CB will give you a proposal comprising a quotation that provides an estimate of the total certification cost, which includes the professional fees for the conduct of audit, report writing and other related incidental costs.

STEP 4

Submit Application to CB

You are required to submit an application form together with an application fee to the CB upon agreement and acceptance of the quotation.    

THE AUDIT

STEP 5

Audit by the CB

A team of auditors from the CB will conduct the audit in two stages, stage 1 and stage 2. The audit will include field visits to selected forest sites, further documentation reviews, and consultations with the stakeholders.

STEP 6

Audit Report

The CB will provide a full audit report for the FMU/FPMU including specific details on non-conformities that needed to be rectified to achieve full compliance with the certification requirements. The forest manager is responsible to resolve any non-compliance issues and provide evidence after they have been solved. This is a prerequisite for the issuance of certificate by the CB.

STEP 7

Issuance of Certification Issued

The MTCS/PEFC certification (Natural Forest or Forest Plantation Management) will be issued to you if your management practices are in compliance with the certification requirements. The certificate is valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of issuance.

MOVING FORWARD

STEP 8

Usage of the MTCC Logo and/or PEFC Trademarks

If you wish to use the MTCC logo and/or PEFC trademark, you are required to enter into a logo licence agreement with MTCC. The fee for the usage of the MTCC logo and/or PEFC trademark is covered under “notification fee” as invoiced by your CB.

STEP 9

Annual Surveillance Audit

With the certification, your forests are subject to an annual surveillance audit. This is to ensure that your operations and practices continue to comply with the certification requirements.

STEP 10

Renew Certification

Upon the expiration of your certification, you are required to undergo a re-certification audit in order to renew your certification.

Certify Your Forests and Tree Based Products

The MTCS/PEFC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification enables you to demonstrate legal and sustainable sourcing of forest and tree based products to your customers. As a MTCS/PEFC CoC certificate holder, the company is able to mix Malaysian certified forest and tree based material with other PEFC certified materials and declare the final products as PEFC certified. Forest and tree based products certified for CoC under the MTCS are allowed to carry the PEFC trademark.

Who Should Get Certified?

  • Manufacturers
  • Traders
  • Sellers of forest and tree based products

How to Apply?

All applications for MTCS/PEFC CoC certification must be submitted to PEFC Notified Certification Bodies (CBs). The CBs are responsible to process applications, conduct audits and issue certificates to eligible applicants.

GET PREPARED

STEP 1

Prepare for the Audit

  1. Get familiar with the PEFC CoC certification standards and requirements as follows:
  2. Identify the products you want to certify and the way you want to use the PEFC trademark.
  3. Identify and verify the material categories of input materials and check the certified status of your suppliers.
  4. Choose the relevant certification option: individual, multisite or producer group.
  5. Set up your management system in compliance with the PEFC CoC requirements. This set-up can be integrated into your existing system such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. You may engage a consultant for this purpose. Test the standard operating procedures and check whether they fulfil the PEFC CoC requirements.
  6. Train your staff about the set-up as well as certification requirements.
  7. Conduct an internal audit and make the necessary adjustments before arranging the audit with a CB.

STEP 2

Select a PEFC Notified Certification Body (CB)

Select an appropriate accredited CB and establish initial contact with the CB by phone, email or personal meeting.

STEP 3

Apply for Certification

Submit related documents to the chosen accredited CB of your choice for a preliminary/documentation assessment of your CoC set-up against the PEFC CoC standard, and ensure that all the requirements for certification are fulfilled. Based on the information obtained, the CB will give you a proposal comprising a quotation that provides an estimate of the total certification cost. All costs are determined by the CBs individually. Due to the competitive nature of certification business, the costs may vary

STEP 4

Submit Application to CB

You are required to submit an application form to the CB upon agreement and acceptance of the quotation.     

THE AUDIT

STEP 5

Audit by the CB

The CB will conduct the audit which includes field visits to selected sites, further documentation reviews, and consultations with the stakeholders.

STEP 6

Resolve Non-compliance Issues

Resolve any non-compliance issues as this is a prerequisite for the issuance of CoC certificate by the CB.

STEP 7

Issuance of Certification

The MTCS/PEFC CoC certification will be issued to you if your CoC system is in confirmed compliance with the certification requirements. The certificate is valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of issuance, subject to annual surveillance.

MOVING FORWARD

STEP 8

Usage of the MTCC Logo and/or PEFC Trademarks

If you wish to use the MTCS and/or PEFC logos, you are required to enter into a logo licence agreement with MTCC. The fee for the usage of the MTCC logo and/or PEFC trademark is covered under “notification fee” as invoiced by your CB.

STEP 9

Annual Surveillance Audit

An annual surveillance audit is required to ensure that your operation continues to comply with the PEFC CoC standards and requirements.

STEP 10

Renew Certification

Upon the expiration of your certification, you are required to undergo a re-certification audit in order to renew your certification.

Step 1 – Prepare for the Audit
  1. Get familiar with the MTCS forest certification standard below:
  2. Set up your management system in compliance with the MTCS/PEFC requirements.
Step 2 – Select a PEFC Notified Certification Body (CB)

Select an appropriate accredited CB and establish initial contact with the CB by phone, email or personal meeting.

A certification body has its own procedures in processing application. A guidance will be provided to you upon the establishment of the initial contact. The following steps are generally applied in processing application to obtain certification for forest management:

Step 3 – Provide preliminary information on the intended area to be certified

Submit related documents to the chosen accredited CB for a preliminary assessment of your forest management practices against the MC&I SFM standard, and ensure that all the requirements for certification are fulfilled. Based on the information obtained, the CB will give you a proposal comprising a quotation that provides an estimate of the total certification cost, which includes the professional fees for the conduct of audit, report writing and other related incidental costs.

Step 4 – Submit Application to CB

You are required to submit an application form together with an application fee to the CB upon agreement and acceptance of the quotation.    

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