NEWS

UKWAS 4 Final Drafts sent to FSC UK & PEFC UK

A Final Draft of the UKWAS 4th Edition has been completeted by the UKWAS Steeering Group following more than two years of work.

UKWAS Executive Chair, Peter Wilson said: “I am absolutely delighted that the Steering Group has now concluded a Final Draft: UKWAS 4 represents the most comprehensive review of UKWAS since its 1999 launch.The draft has been formally presented to FSC UK and PEFC UK which are the two schemes using the UKWAS as a basis for their national certification standards in the UK. Both will now prepare the documentation and submit the UKWAS 4 to their international parent bodies for approval / endorsement.

“With the user in mind, the main thrust in the revision has been to introduce a more logical ordering of sections including a rationalisation and re-ordering to create five new sections and greater clarity on the status of requirements, verifiers and guidance. I am confident that users will find that UKWAS 4 is a much more user-friendly document.

“Users should be aware that some further changes might be requested by FSC or PEFC to meet their scheme requirements but the target is for UKWAS 4 to be confirmed and  published in late 2016.”

Copies of the Final Draft, including a version with tracked changes showing the most recent amendments, is available on the UKWAS website alongside the Consultation Report setting out Steering Group responses to the issues raised by consultees and a Quick Guide explanation of the changes – see www.ukwas.org.uk/documents. 

Documents are also available in Word format on request from the UKWAS Support Unit on ukwas@confor.org.uk.