---
title: "PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) —"
description: "The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses. What the symbol looks like, what happens if you ignore it, and where its meaning "
url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-pefc/
site: "At One Place"
---

# PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)

**PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification): The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses.**

## What it looks like

Two stylised trees inside a circle formed by arrows, with PEFC below.

## What it means

PEFC works differently from FSC: rather than running one global standard, it recognises national certification systems that meet its criteria, which makes it the more common mark on European and North American paper from smaller, family-owned woodland. Certification bodies audit against the national scheme; PEFC endorses the scheme rather than the individual forest. It is the second forestry mark people meet and is often assumed to be a competitor label for the same audit, which it is not.

> Defined by PEFC ST 2001. Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.

## Other packaging and recycling symbols

| Symbol | Means |
| --- | --- |
| Mobius loop (chasing arrows) | The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it. |
| Mobius loop with a percentage | The pack contains that percentage of recycled material. |
| Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) | The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material. |
| Tidyman | Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling. |
| Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol | Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection. |
| Aluminium recycling (alu) | The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium. |
| Recyclable steel | The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling. |
| Compostable seedling (EN 13432) | Certified to break down in an industrial composting facility — not in a home heap, a bin or the environment. |
| Home compostable | Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature. |
| FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) | The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard. |
| OPRL — Recycle / Don't Recycle (UK) | Whether this specific component is collected by most UK councils. |
| Triman (France) | In France, this product or packaging is subject to sorting rules and must not go in the general waste. |
| Estimated sign (℮) | The quantity is an average across the batch, checked under the EU average-quantity system. |

## Common questions

### What does the pefc (programme for the endorsement of forest certification) symbol mean?

The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses.

### What does it look like?

Two stylised trees inside a circle formed by arrows, with PEFC below.

## Related pages

- [FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-fsc/)
- [Mobius loop (chasing arrows)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-mobius-loop/)
- [Mobius loop with a percentage](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-mobius-percentage/)
- [Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-green-dot/)
- [Tidyman](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-tidyman/)
- [Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-glass-recycling/)
- [Aluminium recycling (alu)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-aluminium/)
- [Recyclable steel](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-steel/)
- [Compostable seedling (EN 13432)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-compostable-seedling/)
- [Home compostable](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-home-compostable/)
- [FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/packaging-fsc/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)