Kotkamills, a manufacturer of fully recyclable food service board, has signed a collaboration agreement with the organisers of the alpine skiing event World Cup Levi. World Cup Levi kicks off the FIS World Cup season with the women’s slalom event on 21 – 22 November. Food and beverages at World Cup Levi will be served in cups and trays made from Kotkamills’ eco-friendly, fully recyclable board. “Sustainability is very important to both collaboration parties, and we are working hard to advance it. We are pleased that the Levi event organisers have wanted to replace the traditional products with new, eco-friendly alternatives,” says Markku Hämäläinen, CEO of Kotkamills.

We have had a fantastic response to the call for nominations for our Standards Revision Working Groups. Regarding both the competence and background of the nominees, as well as the number we received, the nominations are impressive. We would like to thank all the nominees for their interest in PEFC’s work and their willingness to contribute to the further improvement of our standards. We are now evaluating all available nominations. We will come back to the nominees in the next three weeks with further information about the acceptance or rejection of the nomination. In case of acceptance, the nominees will receive more detailed information about the further process.

On 20 May 2025, FSC Italy and Scavolini, one of Italy’s leading furniture companies, officially launched an innovative ecosystem services project to protect pollinators. An inclusive and accessible wooden ‘bee chalet’ will be built inside Tuscan-Emilian Apennines National Park, an FSC-certified protected natural area in central-northern Italy, protecting pollinator populations and offering environmental education activities to schools and eco-tourists. Pollinating insects in Europe, such as wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies, are going through a major decline due to factors such as habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. According to data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity (IPBES), about 37% of bee and butterfly populations in Europe are declining, causing incalculable damage to the environment and food crops.