Pefc Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft Austria

What Pefc Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft Austria does

PEFC Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft Austria is a Vienna-based, non-profit certification organization (structured as an Arbeitsgemeinschaft under § 16 of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Act) that implements the global Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) framework at the national level. Its core function is the certification of sustainable forest management and the maintenance of a chain-of-custody (CoC) traceability system from forest to finished wood and paper product. The organization oversees forest certification for more than 96,000 Austrian forest owners, group and regional certification schemes, project certification for exemplary wood construction, and CoC certification for more than 600 companies along the wood value chain, with PEFC-certified forests covering roughly three-quarters of Austria's forest area.

PEFC Austria's operating model combines standards management, certification oversight, and stakeholder engagement. Accredited third-party certification bodies (such as SGS and bfvs) conduct the actual audits; PEFC Austria sets the standards, runs member and stakeholder governance via a multi-association General Assembly (covering wood industry, paper, trade, agriculture, forestry employers, the PRO-GE trade union, and environmental groups), and operates supporting digital tools including the secure Waldbesitzerdatenbank (Forest Owner Database) for certified owners and the PEFC Logo Generator through which certified companies produce on-product seals. Revenue is generated primarily through annual CoC certification fees paid by certified companies, an inflation-indexed fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, and member-association dues, supplemented by promotional-partner programs and project certification services. The organization also runs a recurring annual PEFC Award program across multiple categories, a 2025-launched Ambassador Program, and is pursuing EU recognition of its standards under the RED II/III renewable-energy directive.

Name

Pefc Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft Austria

Legal name

PEFC Austria, Arbeitsgemeinschaft nach § 16 Wirtschaftskammergesetz

Website

https://pefc.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PEFC Austria is the Vienna-based national member of the global PEFC system, certifying sustainable forest management across more than 96,000 Austrian forest owners and 600+ wood and paper value-chain companies. It earns revenue primarily through annual chain-of-custody certification fees, member-association dues, and project certification services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forest Certification Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Forest Certification & Chain-of-Custody Services (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (IMAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Management Unit (FMU) Certification (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (AFAMALAA), Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification for Forest Products (AFAMALAB), Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH), Smallholder/Community Forest Group Certification (SLIMF) Support (AFAMALAG)

Keywords

• Forest certification
• Sustainable forestry
• Chain of custody
• Timber tracking
• Wood value chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Breitenfurt Bei Wien

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Chain of Custody (COC) Certification Fees: Companies along the wood value chain pay COC certification fees for PEFC traceability certification. The fee system was updated in 2025 with an inflation adjustment effective January 1, 2026. The fee structure applies to certified companies handling wood products from sustainable forests.
2. Membership Fees: PEFC Austria is an association (Arbeitsgemeinschaft) with member organizations from the Austrian wood industry, paper industry, trade, agriculture, and environmental sectors. Members contribute to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PEFC Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft is the Austrian national body of the PEFC forest certification system. It provides sustainable forest management certification for forest owners, Chain-of-Custody certification for companies along the wood and paper value chain, regional certification for municipalities, and project certification. In addition, it offers complementary programs such as the ZÖFU (Zertifizierte Ökologische Forstwirtschaft) initiative, RED III certification, the PEFC Award, and the PEFC Ambassador program, supported by digital tools including the Forest Owner Database and Logo Generator.

Product overview

PEFC Austria is a certification organization for sustainable forest management operating as a unified certification service rather than a modular software platform. The core offerings include PEFC Forest Certification, Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification, PEFC Project Certification, Regional Certification, and RED III Certification. Supporting services include the PEFC Award program, the PEFC Ambassador Program for forest awareness, the Waldbesitzerdatenbank (Forest Owner Database) for certification data management, the PEFC Logo Generator for certified companies, and ZÖFU certification for forestry enterprises. The organization also publishes PEFC Standards and maintains annual reports documenting its activities. With over 96,000 Austrian forest owners and more than 600 companies certified, PEFC Austria connects forest managers through certification to consumers who choose PEFC-labeled products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEFC Award: Annual award recognizing Austrian forest owners, companies, and forestry entrepreneurs for outstanding contributions to sustainable forest management.
• PEFC Botschafter-Programm
• PEFC Projektzertifizierungen
• PEFC-Regionenzertifizierung

Products and services

• PEFC Sustainable Forest Management Certification Certification of forest management practices against the Austrian PEFC standard for private forest owners, forest cooperatives, and forest owner associations in Austria.
• PEFC Chain-of-Custody Certification Certification for companies along the wood and paper value chain, including sawmills, timber traders, pulp and paper producers, and packaging manufacturers, verifying that PEFC-certified material is tracked through the supply chain.
• PEFC Regional Certification Group-based regional certification scheme for Austrian municipalities and regional forest owner associations that certifies the sustainable management of communal or regionally aggregated forest holdings.
• PEFC Project Certification Certification for defined forestry projects, enabling specific project-based claims about sustainable forest management or certified material sourcing.
• ZÖFU Program (Zertifizierte Ökologische Forstwirtschaft) Austrian PEFC add-on program for ecological forestry (Zertifizierte Ökologische Forstwirtschaft) targeting forest owners pursuing enhanced ecological forestry practices.
• PEFC RED III Certification Certification supporting compliance with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) for forest-based biomass and bioenergy supply chains.
• PEFC Logo Generator Online tool provided to PEFC Chain-of-Custody certified companies to generate compliant PEFC on-product labels and logos for use on certified wood-based products.
• PEFC Forest Owner Database Online database of Austrian PEFC-certified forest owners, providing traceability and visibility of certified forest holdings across Austria.
• PEFC Award Program Award program recognizing outstanding Austrian PEFC-certified forest owners, companies, and projects that demonstrate leadership in sustainable forestry.
• PEFC Ambassador Program Stakeholder engagement program using public ambassadors to communicate the value of PEFC-certified sustainable forestry in Austria.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 96,000 Austrian forest owners certified under PEFC standards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PEFC InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEFC International (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes Council) is the global parent organization. PEFC Austria organizes and implements the national implementation of the PEFC forest certification framework, maintains collaboration with PEFC International, and contributes to the global PEFC system present in 55 countries.
• Fachverband der Holzindustrie ÖsterreichscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Austrian Wood Industry Association is a founding member of PEFC Austria, contributing to governance and strategic direction of the certification system.
• AustropapiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian paper industry association, member of PEFC Austria, representing paper manufacturers in the certification system.
• Bundesgremium des Baustoff-, Eisen- und HolzhandelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal trade association for construction materials, iron and wood trade, member of PEFC Austria.
• UmweltdachverbandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental umbrella association, member of PEFC Austria representing environmental interests.
• Präsidentenkonferenz der Landwirtschaftskammern ÖsterreichscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresidents' Conference of Austrian Agricultural Chambers, member representing farmers' interests in forest management.
• Hauptverband der Land- und Forstwirtschaftsbetriebe ÖsterreichscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain Association of Austrian Agricultural and Forestry Enterprises, member representing larger forest holdings.
• Waldverband ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Forest Association, member representing private forest owners.
• Gewerkschaft PRO GEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian trade union representing forestry and wood industry workers, member ensuring social sustainability aspects.
• BIOSAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization of PEFC Austria, representing specific sustainability interests.
• Verein ForstfrauenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Austrian Forest Women, member promoting gender diversity in forestry.
• SGS-International Certification Services GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccredited certification body that conducts PEFC audits and issues certificates, including extension of PEFC Regionenzertifikat validity.
• bfvs ZertifizierungsstelleminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertification body that conducted PEFC project certification for the first kindergarten with PEFC seal in Leoben/Mühltal.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PEFC Switzerland: PEFC Switzerland is another small-country PEFC national member with very similar forest-owner base, governance model, and value-chain focus — a tight structural and operational peer for benchmarking.
• PEFC Deutschland: PEFC Germany is the German national PEFC member, the closest geographic and structural peer to PEFC Austria, operating the same forest certification, CoC, and regional certification model for a much larger forest estate.
• FSC International (Forest Stewardship Council): FSC is the principal competing global forest certification system. Both PEFC and FSC provide forest management and Chain-of-Custody certification against sustainability standards, often used in parallel by large wood/paper buyers — making FSC PEFC Austria's most direct peer.

Emerging players

• Preferred by Nature: Preferred by Nature is a non-profit sustainability organization that conducts PEFC and FSC audits and supports forest certification capacity building — an emerging ecosystem participant overlapping with PEFC Austria's audit and assurance value chain.

Others

• Control Union: Control Union is a global certification body active in forestry, biomass, and sustainability certifications (FSC, PEFC, RED II). It is an ecosystem participant that conducts audits against the very standards PEFC Austria administers.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global testing, inspection and certification company that issues forestry and Chain-of-Custody certifications (including FSC and PEFC). It is a direct ecosystem participant that competes for the same audit and certification work underlying PEFC.
• SGS: SGS is an accredited third-party certification body that actually conducts PEFC audits on PEFC Austria's behalf (e.g., regional certification extensions). As an ecosystem enabler and ecosystem participant in the same forest-certification value chain, SGS is a relevant adjacent peer.

Broad incumbents

• PEFC International: PEFC International is the global parent/endorsement body of which PEFC Austria is the national member. It sets the overarching framework endorsed in 55 countries and is directly comparable in mission and standards governance.
• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance operates broader sustainability certification programs that include forestry-related standards and overlap with PEFC in consumer-facing sustainable-sourcing labeling — a broader incumbent in adjacent sustainability certification.

Regional players

• TÜV Austria: TÜV Austria is a domestic-Austrian certification body that issues forestry-related certifications (FSC, PEFC CoC) to Austrian companies, competing for the same audit mandates that flow from PEFC Austria's certification system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt2FSwpPHOMMFgvbtIUM7ng
• Facebookfacebook.com/PEFCAustria
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pefc-austria
• Instagraminstagram.com/pefcaustria
• TikToktiktok.com/@pefcaustria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pefc Austria Arbeitsgemeinschaft Austria