FINLAND — During 2026, Metsä Group will establish its own PEFC group certification scheme which Metsäliitto Cooperative’s bonus members and contract customers can join to have their forests certified. “By establishing this new group, we want to strengthen the position and profile of PEFC certification, bear even more responsibility for compliance with PEFC certification, and thus ensure the continued availability of PEFC-certified wood to our industrial customers,” says Juha Jumppanen. “In our view, the current regional system includes individual actors who are insufficiently committed to complying with the certification requirements.” …In addition to its own PEFC group, Metsä Group offers its contract customers the opportunity to join another prevailing forest certification system, i.e. FSC®, through group certification. …Compared with uncertified wood, Metsä Group pays an additional price for wood purchased from certified forests. A considerably higher price is paid for FSC-certified wood than for PEFC-certified wood.