Thorsten Arndt

Head of Advocacy
PEFC

Thorsten works on the sometimes uncomfortable space where big global ambitions meet on-the-ground reality. In my role as Head of Advocacy at PEFC, and spend much of his time translating international climate, biodiversity and sustainability frameworks into something that can actually work for forest owners, companies, and policymakers. Certification sits right in that middle: it is technical, political, and often misunderstood - but when it works well, it creates trust where trust is otherwise hard to come by. A large part of his job is listening. 

Thorsten works closely with PEFC members, NGOs, companies and public authorities, navigating scrutiny, disagreement and differing expectations. He engages in policy debates around issues such as deforestation regulation, climate mitigation, biodiversity protection and sustainability reporting. Much of this happens in the context of frameworks like the Paris Agreement, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and emerging disclosure regimes such as CSRD and TNFD. What motivates Thorsten is practical progress. He am interested in solutions that are ambitious, but also usable - especially for smallholders and family forest owners who are often left out of global conversations but carry much of the responsibility on the ground. He is always open to thoughtful exchange with people working on forests, certification, supply chains, climate and biodiversity policy - particularly where the conversation goes beyond slogans and into how things can realistically be made to work.

Sessions